Take It Off
by xxxraquelita
Summary: Santana hadn't wanted to move to Lima, Ohio, but there hadn't been much of a choice. Living there, there were only a few things she was sure of. Her apartment was small, Puck was her friend, and Sirens was going to be the death of her.
1. Chapter 1

Moving to Lima, Ohio had not been on Santana Lopez's list of things to accomplish in her life. It was smaller than she liked, it seemed painfully dull, and as far as she could tell, there were little to no redeemable qualities there. It was very different than what she was used to, but then again, she had just graduated from college and anything was bound to be different from that.

She didn't move to Lima for the fun of it. Unfortunately, the only job she had been able to get was there. It wasn't the best job at all, but it was steady and paid alright, and living in Lima cost a whole lot less than living in Columbus. Mostly she just planned on working and saving as much as she could for when she got a job she actually wanted and could move someplace else.

Her landlord seemed a little too young to be in charge of a bunch of apartments. If nothing else, he had a questionable haircut. His name was Noah Puckerman but he insisted she call him Puck. Well, he'd mentioned that she could call him Puckasaurus. There were many things she wanted to say in response to that, but she also didn't want to get on her landlord's bad side. So they'd settled on Puck and that was that. He had even helped her move some of the heavier items into her apartment, but she was fairly certain he'd done that just to try and flex his somewhat impressive muscles around her as much as possible.

Too bad she wasn't into guys, or she might have considered it. She waited until he was done moving her stuff and had moved on to the more obvious leering before letting him know that much. Amazing how quickly he turned off what was probably considered his charm when he heard the words, "I'm a lesbian."

"That's cool, I'm all for some lady lovin'," he had said. "Especially if I get to watch." Santana had to use everything within her not to smack him so hard he would feel it for a week, but once again she reminded herself that assaulting her landlord, whether verbally or physically, would be a bad move. He had chuckled and assured her that he was joking, at least mostly, but he had also mentioned that there weren't too many people around Lima that would care for that. Great, not only was Lima a small, boring looking city, but it was also a close-minded one. Perfect.

"Hey, even if we aren't going to fuck or anything, you should still hit me up if you ever want to hang out," Puck had added, heading for the door of her apartment to leave. "Most of the people that live here are old and shit, so it's good to have someone not ancient around for once." Santana was left staring at the open doorway once he was gone, thinking that it had probably been the most ridiculous introduction to a person she had ever had. Then again, she was new to Lima.

Sadly enough, that was how she made her first friend in her new city. Against all odds, Noah Puckerman was it. It was just that there was only so much of unpacking her apartment room by room, night by night, and all on her own, that she could take. By the second day, she had given in and gone to his apartment, internally cursing herself. It didn't matter though, because he came back to her apartment with her anyway, and they split a six-pack while he helped her unpack her kitchen.

That was how it all began. Santana quickly learned that Puck wasn't actually the person who owned the apartments, it was his mom. He took care of the legwork and all the maintenance stuff while she handled the paperwork and official side of things. It was all he had been doing since he graduated high school, which was why he knew all the tenants, and exactly how few there were around the same age as him. Santana had noticed that everyone she had seen around the apartment complex was a _lot_ older than her. She didn't really care, except the part where she had no one to talk to except him.

There wasn't anyone at her work that she really wanted to talk to more than she had to, or hang out with once she was off the clock. Being an administrative assistant at a publishing company wasn't exactly where she hoped to be in life, but being in the same building as jobs she actually wanted was a step in the right direction At least, that's what she told herself. It was honestly the only full time job she had been able to find, and it didn't pay horribly, so she took it. She was beyond the bottom of the totem pole, but she had every intention of fighting her way to the top. The more she accomplished at that company meant the easier it would be for her to get a better job at a different publishing company in a better location. Neither of those things made her likable to the people she saw every day on the job.

Puck was honestly the only friend she had in Lima.

"So are there actually any good places to go in this shit hole of a city?" They had managed to unpack her entire apartment in a week and had progressed to just sitting and drinking. While that was great and all, Santana figured it would get old fast.

"Hey!" Puck said, throwing a pillow off the couch at her. "I was born and raised here, you know. I know it's not the greatest, or even close, but just because you're from the fancy big city doesn't mean you get to say shit like that."

"You didn't answer my question, asshole." Santana didn't feel particularly bad. If there was anything she had learned about Puck in the time she knew him was that he had a thick skin, and there wasn't really much that could actually offend him. All she really cared about was if there was somewhere to go in Lima that wasn't her apartment, Puck's apartment, her job, or the grocery store.

"Of course there's places to go," Puck scoffed, taking a sip of his beer. Santana just raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer, and he rolled his eyes. "There's some bars, most of them are dives. All I know is they didn't ever card me before I was twenty-one." He paused, a smirk spreading across his face as he looked over at her.

"What?" she asked, finishing her beer and setting the bottle down on the floor. "Why are you looking at me like that? Because if you keep it up much longer, I'm going to slap that look right off your face."

"Other than the bars, there's only one place worth going to. Sirens."

And that was how it all began.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Santana went to Sirens, it was with Puck.

All he had been able to talk about since that first time he mentioned it was that damn club. He kept saying he was going to take her there, and she didn't doubt that he would, but it wasn't like it was the number one priority in her life. She knew she had asked him for places to go, but she hadn't been expecting him to suggest a strip club. Then again, she hadn't been that surprised.

That was also why she wasn't too surprised when he showed up at her door. Santana had been ready for a quiet night in, and had answered the door wearing sweatpants and with a wine glass in hand. Puck just told her to get dressed because they were going to go, and she didn't see a reason why she should say no. He waited in her living room while she changed into non-lounging clothes and they were out the door not too long after that.

Going to Sirens that night was not the first time Santana had been to a strip club. Of course she had been to one before; several, in fact. She thought that there was probably a difference between going to a strip club in Columbus, which was a pretty gay-friendly city, and going to one in Lima. Her sexuality wasn't something that she flaunted, it was just a fact about her. Especially because of Puck telling her about how the general population of Lima, Ohio would react to it, she didn't feel the need to broadcast it. Not that she ever did, but still. It just seemed like going to Sirens would be throwing up a big rainbow flag for everyone to see.

Puck told her that she would be fine. Something about how he would bitch slap anyone who gave her shit, as if she wasn't capable of standing up for herself. Just that once, she let it go. It was kind of nice to know that she had someone willing to do that for her, whether she needed it or not. If she had known when she first met him that he would be her closest friend, there was no way she would have believed it. But there they were.

After paying the cover and getting inside, Santana saw for certain that she was the only woman there. Well, the only one that wasn't up on a stage, working a pole. There were a fair amount of people there, though once again she didn't know why she was surprised. Sirens was one of the few places in Lima to go after the sun went down. Deep down she had been hoping that it would be a slow night, with fewer people to see her there. She wasn't ashamed, she just didn't want any problems.

Sirens was a smaller strip club than the other ones she had been to in the past. The amount of neon lights on the outside made her almost positive that it could be seen from space. On the inside, it was just as dimly lit and slightly skeevy looking as she had expected. Then again, most strip clubs were. Puck tried to take her up ringside but she convinced him that she wanted to sit at the bar for a while.

It wasn't like the entertainment was bad, and she had a good view from the bar. The bartender seemed nice enough, pouring heavy in her drinks and making sure her glass was never empty without the offer of another drink. Santana was glad for that, at least. She had a strong constitution and could take a lot of liquor before she got tipsy, and she felt like she might need it with the amount of men shooting questionable looks her way.

It wasn't a full nude strip club, she quickly discovered, and that was fine by her. Honestly she was perfectly content to watch girls clad in bras and g-strings working their way up and down their poles, spinning more gracefully than she imagined she ever could. And then when the bras came off? Well, that was fine by her, too. The music was loud, bass practically shaking her where she sat.

Puck seemed to be enjoying himself, and part of Santana wondered how often he went to Sirens. It couldn't possibly have been that often the past couple weeks, since most of his nights had been spent at her apartment - or with her being at his. From what she could tell, watching him, it seemed like he was familiar with both the place and the people. It almost made her feel special, thinking that he might have given up his nights at the strip club to hang out with her. Of course she had no proof, and he would likely deny it if she asked, but she would be willing to bet money on it.

Then again, it didn't seem like he would have any money left to bet, the way he was giving singles to some topless redhead named Candy. Santana couldn't blame him, Candy was pretty enough. She didn't have much of a thing for redheads herself, but she could definitely see the allure. But then the set changed, and Candy was gone, a girl with an equally ridiculous stage name was announced as taking her place.

Santana got herself another drink and a beer for Puck, and headed down to take the seat beside him. "Out of money yet?" she asked as she leaned over and handed him the bottle, and he took it with a grin.

"Not even close," he said, taking a swig and leaning back in his chair. "I see you decided to stop lurking back there and actually come up and join the fun." Santana rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.

"I was thinking of maybe heading out here soon," she said, tapping her fingers on her glass as her gaze went back up to the stage. Well, there was the allure of sitting in those seats right up against the stage. It really was amazing that Puck hadn't emptied his whole wallet by then.

"No you don't," Puck said, giving her a look. "You're not leaving here until you get a lap dance."

"Oh for fuck's sake, I am not going to let you use me for your little girl-on-girl fantasies. Dream on, Noah." Every now and then, he managed to say something that made her question their friendship and also made her want to slap him. That was one of those times. He just laughed and took another drink.

"Look, I just want you to have some fun," he said, a smirk firmly in place on his face as he leaned forward to look at her. "When's the last time you had any sort of sexy girl all up on you? Too long ago. That's what I thought. So you're going to stay here, and you're going to get a lap dance, and that's just what's going to happen." Santana stared at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a little creepy how much you're pushing this."

"Hey, I get girls up on me all the time," Puck said with a shrug, settling back in his seat again. "It's one of the great things about being me. I'm a chick magnet. It's a blessing. You aren't as lucky, cause this is Lima and girls digging on girls isn't exactly something that happens."

"So what you're saying is," Santana said slowly, her eyes narrowing a little, "the only chance I have of getting a girl to _get up on me," _she used her fingers for airquotes, "is to pay a stripper to do it."

"No, you could pay a prostitute, too." She really did hit him for that one. "Hey! I'm only joking. Well, mostly. I'm just saying, who knows how long it'll be until you find an actual lady loving hottie that'll grind up on your business. All I'm saying is that you should enjoy this moment. Hot, almost naked girl all up on you? Just let it happen. Enjoy it."

"We'll see," Santana said, rolling her eyes and leaning back in her chair. He was kind of right. She had no idea if or when she would be able to find someone in Lima who was into her. If she was honest, she was starving for sex. Any kind of intimacy, really. Physical contact from _someone. _There was only so long she could last on herself and her vibrator, and the more Puck was talking about some girl rubbing up against her the more it was becoming appealing. She still wished she didn't have to rely on a stripper for that, though.

At least, that's what she thought before. Right up until the moment there was an announcement that Angel was taking the stage. And when Santana looked up and saw her she thought yes, yes she was.

The girl who had sauntered her way onto the stage had the longest legs she had ever seen on anyone before. Ever. Those absurdly long, lean legs that led right up to the bubblegum pink thong hanging low on her hips. Her body was just so slender and muscular and by the time Santana's gaze finally made its way up to her face, surrounded by all that wavy blonde hair, she had completely crossed out any inhibitions she'd had about Puck's insistence on her getting a lap dance.

She shifted a little in her seat, getting her purse from the floor. So far, the only money she'd spent that evening had been on booze, but she was more than willing to spend all kinds of money for a girl that gorgeous. The way Angel worked her way around the pole, her legs and arms wrapping around it, the effortless way she kept flipping upside down and rotating around. She could practically feel Puck smirking beside her, but she didn't care.

It was mesmerizing to watch, her more so than any of the other girls had been. There was just something so fluid about how she moved, her body flowing with the music, but also the way her hips were gyrating. She was the first dancer the whole night that Santana hadn't been able to take her eyes off of, so much to the point that she didn't realize when Puck left the seat next to her. It wasn't until he plopped back down that she knew he had been gone at all.

"Where were you?" she asked absently, not bothering to look over at him.

"Nowhere," he answered, a bit of a laugh to his voice. "Better watch out, you're almost leering."

"Shut up," she mumbled, leaning back and letting her gaze drop as Angel left the stage and another girl, Destiny, took her place. "I was not."

"Were so," Puck challenged, still smirking. She considered threatening him that if he didn't stop, his face would freeze like that, but she was fairly certain he wouldn't mind that. It would probably make things easier on him, even. Besides, she was aware that she had actually been leering a little. It had been involuntary, not wanting to look away from her the whole time she had been up on that stage. Angel was just so stunning, she'd been so good up on that stage, and then... she was standing right in front of Puck.

"I owe you a dance?" Angel's voice was light, and up close she looked different than she had when she was up on stage. She was cuter up close, Santana realized. Less sex kitten and more adorable. Almost wholesome, which was a strange thing to think, but that's what she seemed. And she was standing right there, so close, talking to Puck.

"Oh no, not me," Puck said, shaking his head with a bigger grin than Santana had ever seen on his face as he pointed to her. "Her."


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh no, not me. Her._

Santana's eyes widened as she looked over at Puck. No _way_. He hadn't... but of course he had. Of course he had gone and bought her a lap dance from the first girl she showed any interest in. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. She didn't have that much time to think about how to feel, though, because Angel was holding her hand out to her and she couldn't do much other than take it and let the taller girl lead her back away from the stage.

The nerves that were settling in her stomach were not helping matters. They just got worse as Angel pulled her into a small room and tugged a curtain shut behind them. She sat in the chair and looked up at her, really not sure what people said in circumstances like that. What was there to say, even? She knew how embarrassingly turned on she had been before, just from watching Angel on the stage, but now they were there in that room alone.

"Something wrong?" Angel asked, moving behind the chair and slowly running her palms down Santana's arms. Oh, Santana was really not okay with how much that was making her tingle. She really had gone too long without physical contact like that.

"I'm just, I've never done this. Had this done to - for me," she said, breaking off and shaking her head. Angel didn't seem to mind her stammering.

"Was that your boyfriend? The guy who got this for you?" Santana almost laughed when she realized she meant Puck, but that laughter got lost before it even started when the girl moved around the chair and into her line of sight.

"No, definitely not my boyfriend," Santana said, doing her best not to stare. It was difficult, and she kind of thought that maybe she was supposed to since it was just the two of them and all, but she felt awkward about it. She blamed Puck and how he had accused her of leering. "He's not my type, at all. Just my friend. My only friend," she added, not realizing she'd said that last part out loud until she noticed Angel looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow. "Sorry, no, I.. just moved here. I'm rambling, I'll stop."

There were no words for how much she was internally kicking herself. She wondered if everyone turned into a babbling mess when they were put in a room alone with a scantily clad girl who was bending and body rolling and just working her body in all the right ways. _Of course they did_, she thought, trying to feel less like she was being crazy. She planned on keeping her mouth shut the rest of the time.

"It's okay," Angel said, crouching down and letting her hands skim up Santana's calves, coming to rest on her knees. "Just relax." Santana was trying to do that, trying to let herself get lost in watching the girl in front of her, barely covered by bits of fabric. The way her body was torquing and moving, and how every so often Angel's hair would brush up against her skin. It almost made her shiver, when that happened. It shouldn't make her shiver.

Everything was so much worse than when she had been sitting out there by the stage. Worse in the best possible way. At least out there she had just been one face in a crowd of many, staring and gawking. There in that room, there was no hiding. There was no pretending that it wasn't happening. Angel was there, dancing for her. Only her. Only because Puck had paid her to, but that didn't change what was happening. It didn't change the ache Santana was feeling between her legs.

"Say something," she said quickly, her hands tightening into fists at her sides because she needed all that tension to go _somewhere__, _and she looked up into Angel's face. "Please. So I feel less creepy."

"I don't think you're creepy," Angel said softly, resting her hands on the back of the chair as she moved to straddle her lap. Santana drew in a sharp breath, but the other girl was sitting further back on her thighs, not up against her. "But okay. What do you want me to say?"

"Anything." Honestly, she could have just started reciting Dr. Seuss and it would have been fine, just something to help Santana focus on something other than the insanely hot girl who was sitting on her lap. "You... you dance, right? Other than this, I mean. It looked like you did." Angel's eyebrows raised a little, but she nodded. "Talk about that?"

"I started ballet when I was five." Angel's voice was practically lilting, a complete conflict with how her hips had moved forward to press against Santana's. That pressure, that feeling - Santana's fists tightened even more as she fought the urge to touch her, to hold on to her. All she wanted was to run her fingers through her hair. No, that wasn't true. That wasn't all she wanted. Of course she wanted that, but she also wanted to let her hands map out her entire body, to lick and suck along her clavicle since it was standing out between those thin bra straps, and to grab onto her hips, those jutting out hipbones that were _rolling against hers_ oh God.

Santana swallowed back a moan as Angel pressed in against her. The way she was grinding against her, it was pressing the seam of her jeans in _just right _against her clit and she was trying so hard not to be inappropriate. What constituted being inappropriate in a strip club, anyway?

"I got into modern when I was about eleven." Santana looked up at her with a confused expression briefly, but quickly remembered that she'd asked her to talk about dancing. With everything else going on, the way Angel's hair was tossing around as her head lolled back, and the constant pressure of her hips, she'd completely forgotten. "Then hip hop after that."

Just like that, she was up off her lap and moving around the chair again. Santana let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her gaze followed the other girl until she disappeared behind the chair again, and there it was again, that light touch running down her arms then back up again. Faintly, she realized the song was ending, but she realized that more as Angel slid onto her lap, sitting sideways.

"You're cute," Angel said, her fingers playing a little with the ends of Santana's hair. "You should come here more often." Santana didn't know whether she should set any store in those words, but they were nice to hear. She kind of didn't want to believe there was any sincerity behind them, since it was the other girl's job to say that sort of thing to customers, but part of her wanted to believe.

"You're beautiful," she said quietly, hesitantly raising her gaze to meet Angel's. "And you're an amazing dancer. Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," Angel said with a wink, smirking a little as she got back up to her feet. "You should come back, though," she added, brushing her hair out of her face. "It's always nice to see a girl around. I have to go get ready for my next set, but hopefully I'll see you again."

Santana just sat watching as she slipped out past the curtain, and as soon as she was gone she let her head rest back against the chair. _Well shit_, she thought. She took a deep breath and got up, leaving the small room and heading back toward Puck. He was easy to find, even in a place that dark, with that stupid hair of his. It helped that he hadn't moved in the time she was gone.

"Can we go now?" He just smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Come on, let's go." He relented and got up from his seat, pausing to tuck one last bill in the g-string of the girl on stage, and then followed her to the door.

"So, how'd it go? You're almost glowing," Puck teased once they were outside, and she glared at him.

"Shut up."

"Oh, you're welcome, by the way," he continued, his smirk not faltering in the least.

"You're just so proud, aren't you?" She was practically snarling, but she didn't care. He was acting exactly how she'd expected he was going to. As much as she had enjoyed getting a lap dance, she really didn't like how smarmy he was being about it. It made her feel like he'd done it for his own reasons, not just because he wanted it for her. Maybe he had. That didn't mean she had to like it.

"Calm down." Puck sounded annoyed, but she still didn't care. "You're the only person I've ever met who got cranky after some girl had her tits all up in their face."

The car ride back to the apartment complex was silent. About two blocks away from Siren's, Puck turned on the radio and cranked it up. Santana just stared out the window, her jaw set. It was irritating how quickly he had managed to piss her off after she'd felt so good. What probably didn't help was how much she really wished that dance would have lasted longer, preferably with more grinding and touching.

"Go sober the fuck up," Puck said once he had parked, and they both got out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow." She just rolled her eyes and walked the opposite way down the sidewalk from him.

Santana got up to her apartment and locked the door, leaning back against it and rubbing her face. It was ridiculous how quickly she had gone from feeling awkward yet almost ecstatic to feeling completely annoyed. Even being annoyed didn't change how she was _still turned on_ and really wanting to do something about that. She made her way back to her room, tugging off her clothes and grabbing her vibrator out of her beside table before flopping down on her bed.

No matter what out of the ordinary things had happened that night, it was ending like most of her nights did.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a week before Santana let herself go back.

There was only so much waiting she could do, because she knew she was going to go back. Where else was there to go, after all? She had let Puck back in the night after everything had gone down. He seemed to know better than to bring any of it up, and she wasn't about to apologize for snapping at him. Part of her was still annoyed, but she knew she had to let it go if she didn't want to lose the only person in Lima who talked to her outside of work.

That was why the next time she went to Sirens, she went by herself. Having Puck with her, it made her more self-conscious than she liked. Maybe anonymity would help her feel less awkward, less out of place. There was no way to completely avoid feeling out of place, but she thought that maybe it would take off some of the edge. Going by herself, she thought that might be a better idea.

Even though she went without Puck, when she got there she went straight to the bar. There was no way she felt comfortable with being up there by the stage. That had been the good part about Puck being with her the last time. She never would have gone up there if he hadn't been there. Sitting at the bar was just fine for her. That just meant it was easier to get drinks, and she could see everything that was going on without feeling like she was leering, as Puck had put it.

"Welcome back." Santana glanced up as she slid onto a bar stool, seeing the same bartender that had been there the last time. He was grinning a little, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Jack and coke, right?"

"Right," she said, sizing him up a little as he poured her drink. "So do you remember everyone who comes here?"

"Not even close," he said with a laugh, sliding the glass toward her hand. She used the little straw to stir it before she took a sip. "You're a little memorable. Got the whole being a girl thing going for you."

"Right," she repeated, her brow furrowing. That was one way to be memorable, she supposed, but it wasn't exactly how she wanted to be remembered. The lone girl in a strip club full of men. It was too late to avoid that, it had already happened.

"Hey, I'm not judging," he continued. "I'm just saying that's why I remember you."

"No, it's fine, I get that," Santana said, waving her hand dismissively. "You don't get too many girls in here." Puck had warned her day one about there not being much acceptance in Lima, so that wasn't too surprising. He moved away to get someone else a drink, and she turned a little on her stool so she could see the stage. It looked like a busier night than before, more people packed in and filling the seats.

There was some sort of bachelor's party going on, as far as she could tell. At least, there was a group of college aged guys who were acting like there was. It was much louder and raucous than it had been a week earlier. As Santana finished her drink and set her glass down for another one, and as that redhead Puck had liked so much made her way onto the stage, she was definitely glad to be sitting back where she was. She hoped that not been staring as creepily as they all were, when she had been sitting down close and watching.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her arm. She glanced over and right into those wide blue eyes that she hadn't been able to get out of her head for a week. There was that wry smile twisting up the corners of Angel's mouth, and Santana couldn't help but smile herself. "Hi there." Oh seriously, had she just said _hi there_ like some idiot? She was _Santana Lopez_ for fuck's sake! She spent half her college career flirting her way through parties and right to mindless sex. Never had she opened with something half as lame as _hi there._

"Hi there yourself," Angel said, a soft smirk adorning her features. Oh good, so she knew just how completely awful that opening had been, too. That made two of them. "I was starting to think you got scared off."

"No, not scared off," Santana said, taking a sip of her second drink. "I was just busy." Well that wasn't true at all, but how was she supposed to say she was waiting for her only friend, as she had called him to Angel the week before, to have plans at night that didn't involve her so she could sneak off to go to a strip club without sounding pathetic? There wasn't really a good way to say that, so she stuck with busy.

"Well I'm glad you came back." Angel slid onto the stool beside her and gave the bartender a smile before looking back to her. Their knees brushed against each other and Santana's breath caught in her throat, which immediately made her frustrated with herself. It was just that the little touch jolted her memory of the lap dance she had gotten from the other girl. Not that she hadn't been thinking about it all week or anything. Not to mention that nagging question of what exactly had Angel meant when she said _it's always nice to have a girl around_? She was trying not to read too much into that one.

"Me too." She drank down about half of her Jack and coke before she started to speak again, but she was interrupted by one of the bachelor party boys who had come over to talk to Angel. Santana busied herself with watching the stage, trying not to pay attention to him. He was pretty drunk and really not doing a good job of talking in a coherent way.

"Cman, you should come dance for me and my friends," he said, resting his hand on her leg. "One of 'em's getting married tomorrow and he deserves at least one more night of some hot girl all over him before he gets stuck." He moved his hand up her leg a little as a few of his friends came up to the bar, and out of the corner of her eye, Santana saw the bartender shift over closer.

"I sure would love to," Angel said, carefully picking up his hand and moving it off her leg. "But you see, boys, I already have plans for the next while." She reached over and rest her hand against Santana's arm, and Santana's eyebrows raised as she looked over. Everyone was looking at her and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, so she just gave them an apologetic looking smile and shrugged. Angel just gestured back toward the bartender. "I'll have Sam here set you up with someone for your friend, okay? Maybe next time one of you boys are getting hitched, I won't have plans."

"Oh come on, come dance for our friend,"another one of the boys piped up, moving in closer to them. Santana felt uneasy, even though the situation didn't directly have anything to do with her. That didn't last too long though because the bartender, who she now knew was Sam, cleared his throat and leaned forward across the bar.

"Come on," Angel said, sliding her hand down Santana's arm and taking her hand. Santana took down the rest of her drink in one gulp as the other girl moved off her stool, tugging her with her. They walked right between the boys who were standing there and Angel led her over to one of the rooms where they had been before. She didn't exactly know what was going on, but she figured she would just go with it.

Once the curtain was pulled across the doorway, Angel turned to her with an apologetic look. "Sorry," she said, biting her lip. "And thanks, for not saying anything."

"No, it's fine," Santana said quickly.

"I don't like bachelor's parties, is all," Angel went on, and Santana frowned as she looked at her. "I didn't mean to use you or anything. I'll give you a dance..."

"You don't have to," Santana said lamely, even though she knew she would never say no to an offer like that. She just didn't want the other girl feeling like she _had_ to. "I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with those guys, either. They seemed like jerks."

"Don't tell anyone I lied?" Angel backed her up against the chair, and Santana sunk down into it, looking up at her. She just shook her head. It's not like she had a reason to tell anyone, or like she knew who she would tell if she wanted to. She took a sharp breath in as Angel settled down into her lap, straddling her. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Santana," she answered, looking up at her and pausing a moment. She wanted to ask what Angel's real name was, but she didn't think she would get a real answer.

"San-ta-na," Angel said slowly, as if rolling each syllable around in her mouth as she said it. "That's pretty." Santana had always liked her name, but it sounded even better coming from Angel. "So, Santana," she said, shifting forward a little and pressing her hips in against hers. "You came back by yourself."

"Yeah, I did." She wasn't exactly sure where that was going, since she thought she had made it pretty clear before that there was nothing going on between her and Puck.

"Usually the only time there are girls here is when it's couples get in free night or something," Angel continued, resting her hands on the chair and moving up off her lap, going around to the back of the chair and running her hands down her arms. There was that tingling that was so frustrating again. "I can't remember the last time a girl came in by herself. Except you right now, I mean."

"I'm a lesbian," Santana said quickly, not sure why she blurted it out but not really regretting it. She didn't feel comfortable telling just anyone in Lima that fact about her. Puck had been the only one who knew, and then Angel. Maybe it was because she felt like the other girl should know the truth about why she was there - not because some guy was dragging her, but because she actually wanted to be. Because she enjoyed it.

Angel paused in her movements, her hands stilling. For the briefest moment, Santana did regret saying it. There was that feeling she hadn't felt in years, that nervousness of being rejected for who she was. Stupid Lima, Ohio and its closed minded nature. She hadn't worried about any of that stuff since her freshman year of college, yet there it was again. Her eyes closed as she focused on the music, since that was the only thing happening in that moment. _Get up and leave, just get up and leave_, she thought, shifting forward in the chair slightly.

It felt like it had been the longest pause, since Angel's hands stopped over her skin, but suddenly there they were again. They skimmed down her arms and down to her hands, their fingers linking together. Santana opened her eyes and looked down and their hands. She felt pressure on her shoulder, and when she turned her head a little all she saw was blonde. Angel had her forehead pressed against her, and she was squeezing her hands.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked carefully. "Angel?"

"I'm fine." Angel nodded against her shoulder before lifting her head. "Sorry it's just, that must be hard. In Lima, I mean."

"It's not that bad," Santana said, half-shrugging. It wasn't, if she was being honest. Other than the part where she kept to herself. The point was, it could be a lot worse. "Just kind of lonely," she added with a dry laugh.

"I get that," Angel started, but then her hands pulled away from Santana's abruptly. She groaned softly and moved back into her line of sight. "I'm up next, I have to go."

It was all Santana could do to nod, and Angel offered her a smile before moving through the curtain and leaving her sitting there by herself. She had that annoying way of doing that - saying something that Santana wasn't sure what it meant, and then disappearing. She pushed herself up from the chair and went out of the room, pausing to glance over at the bar. It was positively swarmed by the bachelor's party, loud and raucous, and Sam was pouring shot after shot.

That was out, then. She wanted to be over there. The bar was the only place where she actually felt comfortable at Sirens and she didn't want to deal with the frat boys, especially since she was the reason they hadn't gotten the dance they wanted from Angel. Her want to stay and watch was heavily outweighed by wanting to draw more attention to herself.

It wasn't like she couldn't come back the next night, or the night after that, so Santana decided to leave. She wasn't sure if she felt relieved about the fact that she had told Angel, but she had felt oddly comforted by the other girl's reaction. Or she had been, at least. There was lingering comfort, but she still wasn't completely sure what Angel had meant right before she left.

She turned the radio up loud as she drove back to her apartment, trying to drown out her thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

The next time Santana saw Angel, it was unreal.

It was just a normal weekday night. Dinner followed by watching a movie with Puck, nothing special. She loved the idea of watching scary movies, but hated actually watching them. If there was someone else there, it was less scary. So she and Puck had watched _Fright Night _and killed a twelve pack.

She didn't remember him leaving, but he was gone by the time there was a knock on her door. Santana went over and opened it, taking a stumbling step back out of surprise. There she was, that tall gorgeous girl, all legs and hair and wearing the cutest little dress she had ever seen. Maybe it was just the fact that Santana had never seen her with clothes on, but she looked even more amazing like that. And there was Santana, wearing sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, feeling very unattractive. "Hi."

Angel just smiled. "Hi."

"How did you-"

"Sam had your name off your credit card," Angel said, biting her lip. "I checked around and found out you lived here. I know that's creepy, sorry." Santana stared at her for a minute before shaking her head.

"It's okay. I mean, I've been creepy to you already so I guess it was your turn," Santana said, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "...why are you here?"

There was a moment of hesitation before Angel stepped past the threshold, her hands slipping up to cup the back of Santana's head as she kissed her. Santana's breath caught in her throat and she reveled in the sensation of the feeling of their lips pressing together. Angel's lips tasted like cherry lipgloss, all the more notable when Santana's tongue ghosted over them. There was only so much chaste, closed mouth kissing she could take when she was _right there_ and kissing her and not seeming like she wanted to stop.

The door fell shut behind them as Angel backed her up against the wall, and she felt like the room was spinning around them. Santana threaded her fingers through that wavy hair she had wanted to touch since the first time she saw her, and let them tangle into it. She hummed lightly as the tip of Angel's tongue traced along her lips, and she parted them to give the other girl access to her mouth. There was a soft whimper that sounded so foreign, and it took her a moment to realize it had come from Angel, the girl pressing her body against hers, those wonderfully cherry lips sucking her lower lip between them.

Santana had never been good with the slow, gentle approach to things. It was tantalizing enough, the way Angel's lips were moving against hers, but when her tongue slipped in and traced over the roof of her mouth. she thought she could get used to it. At the same time, all she wanted to do was pin her up against the wall and kiss her for everything she was worth while she was ripping off that perfect little dress she was wearing. It was only a matter of time, it had to be. Angel's hands slid down from the back of her head, and the moved down her sides and to her hips. Her thumbs rubbed through the fabric and against her hipbones, and a soft moan sounded low in Santana's throat.

Angel being that close, touching her that much, she was so much more intoxicating like that. She smelled like daisies and sunshine and Santana knew that didn't make any sense but that's why she thought. Daisies and sunshine those thumbs that had been rubbing against her hips were hooking in the top of her sweatpants and dragging them down. Her hands moved down to Angel's shoulders and carefully pushed her back a moment, needing to breathe and be able to think for two seconds about something other than her being in her apartment and trying to take her clothes off.

"Just relax," Angel murmured, nuzzling against her jaw as she slid her hands around to grab Santana's ass briefly. Her teeth grazed against her neck, and she resumed the slow pulling down of her pants. "You get to see me almost naked all the time," she said, her voice a low, teasing whisper. "My turn."

There was only so far she could move them before her fingertips couldn't reach anymore, and Santana thought she might actually have died a little when Angel moved down onto her knees in front of her. Before she could even say anything, her pants were completely around her ankles and Angel was mouthing hotly over her panties, and then her knees went weak as she felt the other girl's teeth bite onto the elastic, tugging them down her thighs.

She breathed out heavily, her heart racing as she let Angel nudge her feet apart, and she twisted her fingers into the other girl's hair as she placed open mouthed kisses up her thigh. All she wanted to do was guide her right up between her legs, but she considered herself beyond lucky so far and didn't want to push it. Every touch of her fingers, her lips, her tongue, it was all too much and Santana was feeling beyond oversensitive about everything. It all felt like fire in the best possible way, lingering feelings on her skin even once the touch had moved on.

When Angel's mouth, hot and wet, finally made contact against the slick skin between her legs, Santana let out a moan that could only be described as obscene. Just the release of having that contact, that friction, that physical touch, her knees almost gave out. Once again it was the pairing of perfection and annoyance that Angel was being deliberate and slow about the whole thing, rather than fast and messy and everything that Santana wanted. Not that what she was doing wasn't great, because _it really was_ but it just wasn't how Santana had expected.

Her fingers knotted tighter into her hair, her hips rocking off the wall and against that tongue that was flicking and licking at her in all the right ways. There were quiet obscenities tumbling out of her mouth as she felt Angel's hands move up and pin her hips back against the wall. She whined, her back arching in defiance of the other girl's hold, just wanting to move in some way against her. It was so unfair, and she wanted to take at least a little control back, even though she knew just how much her entire body was humming with pleasure. She opened her mouth to beg for it, plead for a little slack and a tiny bit of control, when -

Santana's eyes flew open and she sat up with a start. Loud gunshots echoing in the speakers were what had woken her up, and she sat breathing heavy and hard as she looked around the room. There were vampires being killed on her tv, and Puck was sitting at the other end of her couch, her legs draped over his lap. Her mind worked quickly, trying to make sense of it all. Puck was still there, _Fright Night_ was still on, and there were only a few beer bottles scattered across the coffee table. It hadn't happened, she'd just fallen asleep.

"Having a good dream?" Puck asked, a knowing smirk on his face. No way could he have possibly known what she was dreaming. There was just no way. She rubbed at her eyes, shaking her head. "Sure sounded like it."

"What?" She looked over at him quickly, her eyes still sleepy but narrowed.

"Hey, I'm just saying whatever was going on, it sounded hot," Puck said, raising his hands in surrender. "All that moaning and whimpering..."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded, and Puck just smirked some more.

"Like I said, all that moaning and whimpering..."

"Go get me another beer," Santana groaned, moving her feet off his lap and nudging him with her heels. He smacked her in the leg as he got up, going over into the kitchen. She sighed once he was gone, pounding her head back against the arm of the couch a few times. Fuck, she was in so much trouble. She couldn't even watch a movie with her friend without something happening to drag her thoughts to Angel, to Sirens. Well, mostly to Angel.

Puck came back and handed her a beer, which she took and drank about half of in the first go. "That good, huh?" he asked as he sat down, clearly amused. "Hey, sex dreams are awesome, I have 'em all the time. Want me to leave, so you can go get your jiggy on with yourself?"

"Shut _up_, Puck, oh my God." Santana grabbed the throw pillow off the floor and swung it around, smacking him in the head.

"Just gotta scratch that itch," Puck said, grabbing the pillow from her and taking a sip of his beer as he tossed it down to the floor. Santana glared at him, wanted to slap the smirk right off his face.

"Shut up and watch the movie," she growled, taking another drink and sitting back against the couch. Her eyes focused on the screen, but she was barely watching. She wished her subconscious had just let her sleep instead of butting in and having her dream about _that_.

Once the movie was over and Puck was gone, for real that time, she crawled into her bed and burrowed under the covers. She thought that maybe she shouldn't go back to Sirens, if only going there twice was enough to give her the most amazing, yet simultaneously frustrating, dream she had ever experienced. No, she knew she would go back. She thought maybe she would just wait a while, just to give her mind a break.

Lima was getting to her head way too easily, and she didn't like it.


	6. Chapter 6

Santana found herself back at Sirens, despite how much her brain told her to stay away.

To her, the dream had felt like a warning. She knew how she reacted to different things in life, and having sex dreams about a girl she had only seen twice in her life? That was a warning that she was getting in over her head. She'd managed to have girlfriends for extended periods of time and never had dreams about them. She had only seen Angel twice, and in total for less than half an hour between those times, and she'd had the most vivid, realistic dream of her life about her.

She hadn't wanted to go back to Sirens. If she was being honest, she was a little scared. No one had ever gotten into her head like that, and she wanted to stay away until she figured out how to have a normal reaction to that place. Until she figured out how to turn off her mind and just let herself enjoy what was going on without over-thinking everything.

Puck was the reason that plan didn't work. Him and his stupid ideas and determination to get her back there, not knowing she had gone on her own since the first time. Especially after what happened when they'd had their movie night, he'd suggested they go there every night since. She had managed to dodge actually going, making excuses of getting caught up with work, or having something else going on, but that didn't last that long because he knew damn well that she didn't really have anything to do outside of work and hanging out with him.

That was how they ended up back at Sirens. Santana was half-determined to get drunk, just because, but the rest of her realized what a bad idea that could possibly be. She decided that rather than park herself at the bar for the night, she would stick with Puck. It was his fault she was there, after all, so he would have to deal with her. He didn't seem to mind, at least, as long as the drinks were coming and the girls were dancing and taking off what little clothes they started with. That was how she ended up sitting right in front of the stage.

Puck was the reason that she once again ended up in a private room with Angel. By the time that happened, she had thrown back enough whiskey and beer to be pleasantly buzzed and tingly. She slightly regretted that, since she honestly had planned on staying out of exactly the situation that was happening. Her fingers wrapped around the seat of the chair as she sat watching Angel, who just stood in front of her, smiling wryly.

"Hi there Santana," Angel murmured, closing the gap between them and straddling her lap. She flicked her hair back over her shoulder, sinking down against her. Santana rested her head back against the chair, looking up at the girl on her lap. She wanted to touch her, kiss her, be in control for once. They had such limited interaction and it was always with Angel running the show. That wasn't something that Santana was used to at all, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Well, of course she _liked_ it, but she wasn't sure if she liked the lack of being in control.

Her slightly hazy thoughts were interrupted by the pressure of Angel's hips against hers, and she clenched her fingers against the chair. She could feel Angel's breath against her skin, playing across her neck. All the sensations, from her touch and her breath, were just radiating through her body and she felt like the room was spinning around and around them. Needing to feel grounded, and not even thinking, she let go of the chair and grabbed on to Angel's hips.

"Santana?" She hadn't even realized she had closed her eyes, but they flew back open at the sound of Angel's voice. The other girl hadn't moved since she touched her, but at least that meant she wasn't moving away. "Something wrong?"

"No," Santana said quickly, pulling her hands back. Angel ran her hands down her arms, taking her hands and putting them back on her hips with a soft murmur of '_it's okay.'_ She just looked up at her, trying not to think too much about how soft her skin was under her fingers. What she needed was something else to focus on, something other than the fact that they were so close and she was touching her. _She_ was touching _her. _"What's your name?"

"Ang-"

"No," Santana interrupted, shaking her head. "Your real name." Angel stayed quiet, watching her, and Santana went on before being able to filter her words. "I'm only asking because I really want to take you out for a drink or something and I feel like I should know your real name first." As it registered with her that she had actually said that out loud and not just to herself, she wanted to get up and leave. That was slightly difficult, as Angel was still sitting on her lap, looking at her with wide eyes. "That was... wrong of me. I'm tipsy."

"I can't," Angel said, shaking her head. "It's against the rules. Well, Shue's rules."

"Your shoes have rules?" Santana asked, her brow furrowing as she looked at her.

"No, not my shoes." Angel laughed lightly, resting her hands on Santana's shoulders. "Shue, he's the guy who owns the place. He has rules." She climbed off her lap, getting up to her feet, and Santana wondered if she was just making an excuse instead of flat out rejecting her. After all, she had never even bothered to ask if she was into girls in any capacity.

"Oh, right," she murmured. "Just forget it."

"I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow." Santana blinked as she looked up at Angel, not sure where that had come from or why she had said it. "You know that little organic grocery store down the street from the big normal one? That's where I go. I'll probably sleep in cause I'm here til close tonight, but around eleven, that's when I plan on being there."

"Why are-"

"You should go grocery shopping tomorrow," Angel said, giving her a soft smile. "That's all I'm saying."

* * *

><p>Most Saturday mornings, Santana liked to sleep in as late as she could. Especially after the amount she'd had to drink, all she wanted to do was stay in bed until her stomach growled loud enough to entice her to stumble her way to the kitchen. She was usually lucky if she was up, fed, and showered by noon on those type of weekend days. Except when Puck had brought her home the night before, she had set an alarm, and when it went off at nine in the morning, she actually got up.<p>

Grocery shopping. Angel had said she should go _grocery shopping. _Even sober and clear headed, she didn't completely understand why. That didn't stop her from taking a shower, getting dressed, eating some toast, and taking a quick inventory of her kitchen to see if she actually needed to buy anything. She was sure she could find something to get, no matter what.

Santana got to the grocery store and sat in her car, staring at the steering wheel for a few minutes until the clock changed to say it was eleven. She got her purse and headed into the store, getting a basket and heading for the produce. There was a flash of that familiar blonde hair, and then Santana remembered that Angel had told her to go grocery shopping right after she said she herself was going to be doing that.

"Hi," Angel said, so much more cheerful and bouncy than Santana had ever seen her. She was smiling and not in her normal, sly way, and she was wearing the most bizarre outfit. "I'm Brittany. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand and Santana just shook it, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Nice to meet you too," Santana said, shifting her basket to her other arm. "Um..."

"Rules don't count outside of the club," Angel, no, Brittany said with a wink, picking up an orange and smelling it before she put it in Santana's basket. "Did you have a lot of things you needed to get?" She moved on to the apples, getting a bag and putting a few in before glancing over to her again.

"No, just a few little things," Santana said, shaking her head. She couldn't remember much other than bread and tea and the fact that Brittany had told her to go grocery shopping just so she could tell her what her name was, that was kind of mind boggling in the best sort of way.

"Anything that needs put in the fridge or freezer?" Brittany asked, tucking her apples into the basket. Once Santana shook her head, she grinned. It was such a different grin than Santana was used to seeing on her face, just so wholesome and happy and _warm._ "Good. That means we can go to the Lima Bean for coffee once we're done."

Brittany wandered through the produce, and Santana couldn't help but follow her.


	7. Chapter 7

The Lima Bean was fairly empty for a Saturday around noon. There were plenty of people streaming in and out but barely anyone sitting to enjoy their coffee. Santana had claimed a small table in the back, where she waiting with her coffee. Brittany had ordered a hot chocolate, so she was still up by the counter. Grocery shopping had been interesting. Well, interesting in how normal it had been. Brittany had practically skipped her way through the store, and Santana had tried not to read anything into how Brittany had linked her arm with hers as they'd walked through the freezer section. She'd remembered that in her dream, the other girl's scent had reminded her of daisies and sunshine. In reality, she smelled like apples. They'd chatted aimlessly until they split to their respective cars and headed to the coffee shop.

"Yum!" Brittany exclaimed as she sat down across from her with a mug of hot chocolate that had more whipped creme than Santana had ever seen on one drink. Brittany was just so bubbly, so different than when she was at Sirens. She always had seemed earnest, but there outside the strip club there was no smouldering, sly look in her eyes. She just seemed so much brighter, cuter as opposed to sexy. Of course she was still ridiculously tempting - legs covered in colorful tights but barely hidden under her skirt, and wearing a tank top that covered her up well enough but it didn't matter because Santana had already seen everything underneath. "So how are you liking Lima?"

"Well," Santana started, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. "It's okay. Kind of boring, no offense."

"What, you think I'm boring?"

"God no," Santana said quickly. "You're the least boring part of this place." She wasn't sure if that had come out the way she intended, but Brittany didn't look like she was bothered. She was smiling, even.

"I only asked cause you said no offense," she explained. "I think Lima's boring, too."

"You aren't from here?" From what Santana understood, or rather what Puck had told her, most people living in Lima had been born and raised there.

"Nope, just moved here about six months ago," Brittany said, shaking her head.

"Where from?" Santana asked, feeling slightly odd to just be getting to know this girl who she had already seen practically naked. She wasn't sure where to draw the line at personal questions, but she wasn't sure if those rules applied either now that they were outside of Sirens.

"Ottawa. It's about half an hour away." Brittany took another sip of her hot chocolate, and ended up with whipped creme on her nose. Santana paused, waiting to see if she would get it before reaching over and swiping it off with her fingertip. Brittany's eyes crossed a little as she looked down at her nose, but then she took the whipped creme off her finger with her own. "You said you just moved here, right? Where from?"

"Yeah, from Columbus," she answered. "Well, I went to college in Columbus, then I got a job here right after I graduated. I'm from the Columbus area, though, before that." She'd never heard of Ottawa, but then again she had barely heard of Lima before she saw the job posting for there.

"That's cool," Brittany said, slurping down a little more of her hot chocolate before sighing happily. "I went to college at Bluffton." Santana's eyebrows raised, and she quickly took a drink of her coffee to hide the surprise on her face. She hadn't thought about Brittany going to college, and had just assumed she hadn't. _Way to be judgemental_, she thought, but she knew she always had been.

"What did you study? I did English, which I know sounds boring but I don't think it is." At least, it wasn't as boring as math or science, but that was her opinion.

"Dance," Brittany answered, and Santana felt like she should have known that. She smiled over at her, but there was something wrong, because Brittany was on the verge of frowning. The whole time they'd been together that day, she'd never had anything less than a smile on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her head tilting as she watched her. Brittany hesitated and Santana quickly added, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want." It felt so easy and comfortable being around her, talking to her, it had been easy to forget that they barely knew each other.

"No, it's okay," Brittany said, her tone quieter than it had been. She stared down into her hot chocolate, using a spoon to scoop off some of the whipped creme and eating it. "I just didn't get to finish it, that's all."

Santana just watched her, waiting to see if she was going to explain why. She didn't know much about strip clubs or the people who worked at them, but she generally assumed that there was a reason they worked at an unsavory place. There was no way she expected any of them to have gone to college. If she had met Brittany on the street or at the store, or anywhere else, she never would have thought she was a stripper. She didn't seem jaded enough to step foot in a place like Sirens, and definitely not even close enough to work there. She was bright and bubbly and looked like summer felt. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, I wish I could have finished but I couldn't and there wasn't anything I could do." She took a sip of her drink and offered Santana a smile. "But it's okay. I'm fine and I'm better now, and I've got a job. I mean, it's not perfect, but I make good money."

"That's not surprising," Santana said. "I that you make good money, I mean. You're really good." They had managed to get that far without talking about Brittany's work, but she was the one who brought it up. "Do you like it?"

"I like some nights better than others," Brittany said after a moment's thought. "Like, not the nights with bachelor's parties. They're always really bad tippers and get really handsy." She wrinkled her nose, shifting in her seat. "We've got good bouncers but it's still annoying when it happens." She paused and then quietly added, "I really like nights when you're there, though."

Santana looked over at her, and the other girl was glancing over through her thick eyelashes, almost shyly. She was just _adorable_ and it was so hard to think that she was the same person who had inspired the most vivid and spectacular sex dream of her life. It wasn't like it had even taken that much imagination to get to that point. After two nights of watching her up on that stage, or even better when she was right there in front of her, just the two of them. That girl who had been so smooth and easily sexy in the hidden confines of Sirens was the same one who had the slightest blush creeping into her cheeks as she looked at Santana.

She didn't really know what to say in response. 'Thank you' seemed like a weird thing to say, and so did 'you're welcome' and really, what was she supposed to say when a stripper said she liked it when she came to the strip club? The problem was that she felt like she was taking too long to say anything and even though she wasn't sure what to say, the longer she took the more awkward it was going to be no matter what she said.

"I'm glad," was what she ended up saying, and she smiled a little. "I mean, you're the only reason I've been there more than just that first time." Brittany was practically beaming, and that made Santana feel like she hadn't just said something creepy and stalkerish, which was how she thought it had sounded. It also helped that Brittany reached across the table and set her hand on top of hers.

"I'm glad, too," Brittany said, squeezing her hand lightly. "I like this whole getting to see you when I'm not working thing, too. It's nice." Santana couldn't help but smile fully at that, but she was still trying to keep herself in check. It meant a lot more to hear that kind of thing outside of the confines of Sirens. Brittany wasn't being paid to say nice things to her, to get her to try and come back.

"I like it, too," Santana murmured, using her free hand to brush her hair out of her eyes. It felt natural and easy being around Brittany, something that she hadn't anticipated, especially considering how on edge she usually was when she was around her. It was always a good edge, and she knew it was because of the fact that the other girl had always been practically naked, but still. Just sitting and talking was so comfortable, she felt like she could have been there all day and not get tired of it.

Since she had no plans for the day, they sat there talking long past when their coffee and hot chocolate ran out.


	8. Chapter 8

[**Author's Note: **I am so sorry for how long it took to get this chapter up. I had a bunch of real life stuff going on all at once and I didn't really have any chance to just sit down and write until just now. Hopefully I've gotten into the swing of things by now and can get back to updating regularly. Thanks for your patience and understanding.]

It had felt awkward to go back to Sirens after going grocery shopping with Brittany, and then spending an entire afternoon just sitting there talking to her. She had been so friendly, happy, and not all smoldering for once, and it had been more refreshing than Santana could have possibly imagined. Finally getting to know _Brittany_ instead of just Angel. It had been even better that she thought it would be.

She had wanted to go back, but honestly she hadn't been able to work up the gumption for once in her life. Santana was usually a confident person. She was smart, and she damn well knew she was hot, but there was something about Angel that made her nervous, made her doubtful. Despite how well their long conversations at the Lima Bean had gone, something deep inside Santana was still doubting whether Brittany had enjoyed it as much as she had. Whether she would be any different toward her if she went to Sirens. Brittany had said her favorite nights were when Santana was there. So why was Santana so nervous about going back?

**Do you have plans for dinner?**

Ever since the last night they went out together, Santana had kind of been avoiding Puck. He had been well aware that she had been beyond buzzed, and she was fairly certain she had mentioned something to him about wanting to take Angel out for a drink while he was taking her home, but she knew she hadn't said anything to him about grocery shopping, or the Lima Bean. She'd used work as an excuse, but she was hungry, so she texted back, '_no, but i'm hungry.'_

**You, me, naked chicks, let's go.**

Santana stared down at the text from Puck. What that had to do with dinner, she had no idea. '_i thought you said dinner. i'm hungry, not horny_.' Well that was a lie, but she wasn't about to go down that path with him.

**They have food there. Their sign says that it's award winning! And it's free!**

Sometimes she wondered if he honestly didn't have any friends other than her. Not that she was complaining about his friendship, it was just that she thought that he probably would have been doing this sort of thing with other guys rather than her. She didn't think it was that normal for guys to invite their girl friends to the strip club with them. He never invited, even, he just told. There's no way she thought he was deep enough to know that she wanted to go even though she never said anything about it, and realistically he probably did like having her there because it meant he got to see girls flirt with her, but either way she was kind of glad he was always egging her into going.

**I know you're not busy tonight. COME ON, LOPEZ. **

Apparently she took to long to respond, and she rolled her eyes at his text before shooting back a quick '_they'll still be naked in five minutes. i need to get dressed.' _As she got changed out of her comfy, lounging about the apartment clothes and into something more suitable for being around other people, she heard her text message sound chime again but she ignored it. Most likely it was just a message from him along the lines of how she shouldn't bother with the clothes, maybe it would be amateur night and she could have a go, something like that. She slipped on her shoes as she stood by the door, patting her pockets to make sure she wasn't forgetting something. Wallet, phone, keys, nothing else was really necessary.

Her heart just about leaped out of her chest when she opened the door. Puck had been standing right there, lurking in the dimness of the landing, and all she had seen was some big, shadowy person hovering by her door. "You asshole!" She punched him in the arm before knocking him out of her way with her hip, turning so she could lock her door. "You just about gave me a heart attack."

"Hey!" He practically pouted, rubbing his arm where she'd hit him. "I told you I'd be waiting outside your apartment." She opened her mouth to protest, but then remembered she never looked at her phone after she heard him text her again.

"Whatever," she grumbled, pocketing her keys. "You still shouldn't be lurking around outside people's doors." He just smirked at her and loped his arm around her shoulders, and they walked down to to the parking lot. "You driving or me?"

"You. I'm gonna get drunk." They veered over toward her car and soon they were making the short drive to the strip club. It was a far too familiar drive by that point. Santana never thought she would be able to say that the only places she knew how to drive to without really thinking about it were her job, the grocery store, and a strip club. The rest of Lima and the surrounding area, well, that was still something that required her looking up directions on phone, or just parking uptown and walking around until she found what she was trying to find.

Considering it was a weeknight, the parking lot at Sirens was pretty full. Santana didn't feel as self-conscious about going inside since she was with Puck instead of by herself. Lima still had that effect on her. That annoying, making her feel out of place and so exposed effect. And though she had never paid attention to it before, Puck had been right. The sign outside that usually listed if there were any special events going on _did _say they had an award winning, free dinner. '_What award did it win, though?_' Santana thought skeptically. If it was free, it couldn't be that good. She had a feeling she was going to keep on being hungry.

"I'll grab some beers, you go grab some seats," Puck said, but Santana shook her head. "What?"

"Other way around, Puck. I'll get the beer." She waved him toward the stage and made her way over to the bar. She may have been there on her own before, and she may have been slightly more comfortable there than at first, but she wasn't about to wander her way down to seats that would meet Puck's approval and stake her claim. Once again, the bar was her comfort zone.

"Well hello there, Santana," Sam greeted her as she leaned up against the bar. Slightly startled, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I can't pretend like that's not creepy," she said, pulling her wallet out of her pocket to get to her money. "I mean, I get that you remember me because you don't get many girls in here, but the fact that you know my name..."

"Yeah, that might've been a little overkill, huh?" Sam was grinning, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Relax. You paid with your card before, and that's a pretty unique name, so it stuck in my head. Plus I get asked if you're here just about every night."

"Wait, what?" Santana had just started to feel a little more at ease at his explanation of why he knew her name, but then she was slightly on edge again. Sam just gave her a look, as if that should explain everything, and slid a Jack and coke her way. She automatically reached for the glass, her mind mulling over why anyone would be asking about her, but then it clicked and she felt stupid for not realizing it right away. There was only one person there, other than Sam apparently, who knew her name. Angel. She had been asking about her? That made the corners of Santana's mouth turn up in a hint of a smile as she took a sip of her drink.

"There you go," Sam said, and it seemed like he was being slightly patronizing but Santana didn't care at that particular moment. She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head.

"Shut up," she said, glancing back over her shoulder to see where Puck had landed. True to form, he had managed to find a spot near the stage. She took another sip of her drink as she let her mind race, trying not to get lost in her thoughts but finding it hard to avoid. Angel asked about her, _almost every single night,_ he had said. She spent so much of her time trying not to read too much into things - glances, touches, words, but that was something she wasn't sure she could do with that particular knowledge.

"Did you want something else?" Sam asked, pulling her attention back to the present, and she looked back over to him. Part of her thought that maybe he was talking about something other than drinks, but she figured if she didn't get beer to Puck soon he would just bother her even more later.

"Yeah, can I just get a bucket of Corona?" As he got it ready for her, she set down her drink and got some money out to pay. She had never used to carry cash with her until she moved to Lima. Until she started going to Sirens. The fact that she'd used her debit card there once was just because she had acted out of habit. "Oh, and is your award winning dinner actually any good?" The look Sam shot her was enough to convince her that going hungry was the better option, and she traded him the money for the beer before heading down to meet up with Puck.

"What took you so long?" Puck demanded once she settled in the seat beside him, but he didn't actually look like he cared. Not with the way his eyes were glued to the girl on the stage, and how he blindly reached over at her try and grab a bottle from her hand. It would have worked, had she actually been holding one, but as it was he managed to almost grope her _and_ knock her drink out of her hand at the same time.

She swatted at his hand, which made him finally look over at her. "Calm down, you idiot," she grumbled, nodding to the bucket she'd set down. "That should keep you occupied for a while, anyway." He grunted his appreciation and twisted the cap off one, shoving a lime wedge down into the neck and taking a long swig as he turned his attention back up to the rather well-endowed girl that was hanging off a pole.

Her drink only lasted her through three girls sets. They had been good, enjoyable, but none of them were Angel. She thought about taking one of Puck's beers, but she didn't really care for Corona and really just wanted more whiskey since they were going to be there for awhile. She leaned over and told Puck she would be right back, but she doubted he cared or would notice that she was gone. After his second beer, he'd stopped having much commentary with her and mostly just resorted to staring.

"Hey there, wanna dance?" A soft, familiar purr of a voice was right behind her as she stood at the end of the bar. There were a lot of people waiting for drinks, and she was in no rush, and even less of one once she turned and saw Angel standing there. She spent a moment just taking her in, honestly still amazed at how different she could be depending on where she was. The last time she'd seen her, she had been all brightness and smiles, her eyes full of light and sparkle. There was still a bit of that sparkle that Santana could see, but Angel was back to smirking and smouldering again, in that perfect, taunting way.

"Love to." Santana couldn't think of much to say in response other than how she wanted to do so much more than dance, or rather sit and watch while Angel danced, but as she heard a throat clear behind her she made herself turn around to look at Sam. "Oh, can I get another one?" she asked, setting her empty glass down on the bar. "And can you see if that dark haired girl, I think her name was Pixie, will give my friend a dance? Thanks." She fumbled a little as she got her wallet out again, giving him enough money for both the drink and the dance before getting her glass again and trailing along behind Angel. The other girl had linked pinkies with her while she was talking to Sam, and had tugged her away as soon as she had her drink in hand.

Santana managed to gulp down about half of it before she disappeared into one of the small, private rooms with Angel. It was starting to get really familiar, and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She was going to lean toward good until something told her otherwise. As she sat down, Angel took her glass from her and took a sip, and Santana thought that she probably shouldn't have found it as hot as she did but for some reason she hadn't imagine that Angel would like whiskey. She seemed more like flavored vodka and drinks that tasted like fruit punch, not something harsh and unyielding like whiskey. Especially since Sam had a tendency to pour heavy on his drinks and she could usually barely taste the coke part. She finished it off when Angel handed it back, and reached down to slide the glass out of the way and under the chair.

"I'm glad you came tonight," Angel murmured as she straddled Santana's lap, her hips gyrating as she slowly lowered herself down until they brushed against hers. Santana's head tilted back as she looked up at her, slightly beginning to regret how quickly she'd had her drink since it had made her start to feel warm and tingly.

"Sam said you asked about me sometimes," Santana said, her hands moving up to rest on the top of Angel's legs as the other girl started rolling her hips into hers. Angel ran her hands down her arms, her fingertips so soft against Santana's skin. "If I was here or not."

"Mhm, I do," Angel said, her voice light and lilting. She shifted back a little on Santana's lap, her hands trailing along her torso. "I told you my favorite nights are the ones when you're here. I like it best when you're here. And besides," she added, a mischievous smirk adorning her features, "you're really pretty." Santana opened her mouth to respond, but she didn't have the chance before a soft moan slipped out. Angel had slid her hand down between them and palmed against Santana's jeans. Out of all the things she hadn't been expecting to happen, that was definitely near the top of her list.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," she started to apologize, thinking it was probably really rude to moan like that, even if it had been completely not her fault and out of her control, but still feeling like she should say something. She bit her lip as she felt Angel's thumb press against the seam of her jeans that was right against her clit, choking back another moan as the other girl leaned in closer.

"Don't be," she whispered close to her ear, still pressing insistently against her. Santana's hands moved up to her hips, holding onto them as she tried to stay grounded. Her head had already been swimming thanks to the whiskey she practically chugged down, and then to add to that the twinges of pleasure rolling through her thanks to the pressure of Angel's fingers and thumb, she was just glad that she was already sitting down.

Santana would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about that happening. Perhaps not that exact setting, but she had definitely thought of what it would feel like to have Angel touching her, and especially right there. Hell, she'd imagined all that and more in her dreams, but that didn't change the fact that it was happening and she wasn't exactly sure why but she wasn't about to complain. The only difference between all her fantasies and what was actually happening was the presence of the thick denim fabric of her jeans. It almost made up for that with the fact that she could feel Angel's breath playing along the skin of her neck, and her hair was brushing against her face. Despite all the other scents and smells floating around the building, all she could smell was apples.

"Brit-" she started to murmur, but she was stopped by Angel pressing a finger against her lips. Her eyes opened wide as she looked up at her.

"Not here," she said, shaking her head. "Rules, remember?" Santana was fairly certain that Angel was violating all kinds of rules with the way her fingers had been rubbing against her, but she wasn't about to point that out. And then all at once, she was sitting in a chair all by herself, the warmth and weight of the other girl was gone, and she blinked a few times as she looked at Angel, who was leaning halfway out of the curtain that was across the doorway. When she moved back inside a minute or so later, she was holding a napkin and a pen.

Angel moved back over to her, sitting sideways on her lap and quickly scrawling something down on the napkin before pushing it into Santana's hand. "I really liked hanging out with you the other day," she whispered, almost like she was afraid someone would hear her. What happened outside of Sirens didn't matter if it was again the rules, Santana was pretty sure, but she guessed she couldn't be too sure. The last thing she wanted to do was get Angel in trouble. "We should do that again, sometime." Santana glanced down at the napkin and saw a bunch of numbers written on it. Angel's phone number. No - Brittany's phone number.

"Yeah, we should," she said softly, carefully ripping the napkin in half, making sure not to tear the number apart, and taking the pen from her. She wrote her own phone number on it and handed it back to her with the pen, offering her a slight smile. "Just let me know when." Angel's face lit up as she looked down at the napkin, biting her lip as she grinned.

"Definitely." She got up from Santana's lap again and peeked out the curtain, humming softly as she looked around. "I have to go," she said as she glanced back at her, wrinkling her nose a little. "But I'll see you later, or... if not, sometime." She winked and waved her half of the napkin at Santana before disappearing from the room completely and by the time Santana got over to the doorway, she was gone from anywhere she could see out on the floor.

After going back to the bar and getting another drink, not bothering to bullshit with him because out of anyone there he probably knew what was going on the most, she went back to Puck. All his beer was gone and he looked euphoric, which she assumed meant that he'd gotten the dance she'd asked for him. That also meant he hadn't had the chance to wonder where she had been, or try and figure out who she was with. The last thing she wanted was for him to have more ammunition against her in that regard.

As she sat beside him, sipping her drink and listening to him somewhat sloppily describe all the girls she'd missed seeing, she couldn't help but smile, thanks to the number in her pocket and the thought that she was going to get to see Brittany again, and probably sooner rather than later.


	9. Chapter 9

Santana wasn't exactly sure how soon was too soon to call Brittany. She didn't really know what to say when she did, either. It was the first time she'd had a number, instead of just giving hers to someone and having them make that decision. It was the first time she wanted to call someone, but she didn't know what she would say, what she would do, any of that.

In the end, she settled on texting her. That was less pressure, less formality, and much more relaxed.

_Hey Brittany, it's Santana. I'd love to hang out sometime, if you want. Just let me know when you're free. _

**hi! i totally want to hang out. i work an early shift tomorrow, so after that? i'm done at 8. :)**

There was such a sigh of relief that came with Brittany's response. Santana still wasn't sure how to handle the difference in the other girl, but she definitely liked both sides of her. So she just texted back that the next day after eight would work, and just to let her know what she wanted to do.

She didn't get any response from the other girl until it was a quarter after eight the next day. After having to convince Puck that yes, she did have plans, and no, he wasn't invited to them, she had managed to secure the night for herself. She had changed her outfit three times before she realized that as she had no idea what they were going to do, she should just wait until she knew. What clothes she wore didn't seem that important in the long run, but she had run out of things to do while she waited for eight o'clock to come around.

**my roommates are in a horrible mood. :(**

_I'm sorry. Do you need to stay with them or something? We can figure out some other night..._

**no! i was going to invite you over except they're being awful. **

Santana paused as she stared down at her phone. Brittany had planned on inviting her over. Well, that was nice to know. She bit her lip as her thumbs moved over the touchscreen, composing her text and hesitating just a moment before pressing the button to send.

_You can come over here if you want. I mean it's nothing great, but you're more than welcome to._

**that'd be great :) where do you live?**

_Lima West. It's there off Cole Street. I'm in 3C._

**awesome! i'll be over in a few :)**

So that was it. It was really happening. Santana looked around her apartment, trying to figure out if she should do anything before Brittany got there. But what was there to do? She had spent the evening changing clothes and straightening up out of boredom, so it's not like it was messy. Since she was just going to be staying in, she quickly changed one more time, into a comfortable but still presentable outfit. It was definitely a few steps above the sweatpants she usually wore when she was at home. She had just started checking to see if she had anything in the kitchen for them to snack on when there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry it's a little later than I thought," Brittany started as soon as Santana opened the door. "I wanted to take a shower." That much was evident by her still damp hair, but she looked fresh and clean and honestly a bit tired. Santana did everything she could not to think of the dream she'd had of Brittany coming over, and what had happened in it. That was the last thing she needed to be thinking about when she was actually _there_ for real.

"It's fine, I wasn't doing anything," Santana said, shaking her head and moving out of the doorway so the other girl could come in. She made sure it was locked behind her before turning to see Brittany slipping off her coat as she looked around the room. "It's small, but it's just for me, so it's not so bad."

"I like it." Brittany smiled over at her before walking over to look at the pictures on the wall. There weren't too many of them, just enough to make it feel like home instead of just a place she was living. They were all from college, her and her friends, her sorority, her roommates. "Aw, you look so happy in these!"

"Thanks," Santana said, feeling her cheeks flush slightly at the comment, and moving over closer so she could look too. She didn't pay much attention to them now that she had them up, they were just kind of there. "Did you want something to drink? I don't have a whole lot of options, but I have some stuff."

"Sure!" Brittany followed her into the kitchen and glanced in the fridge, and settled on having ginger ale with a little bit of vodka in it. Santana used the rest of the can of ginger ale for her own drink, and the two of them moved to the couch in the living room, sitting on either end and facing each other. Brittany took a sip of her drink and she looked a little nervous before she spoke again. "Um, so I wanted to say I'm sorry if the other night was weird. I'd been there for a long time and there were lots of shots of tequila, and-"

"It's okay," Santana interrupted, shaking her head. "It wasn't weird, just... unexpected. It's fine." Well there was a bit of explanation about what had happened, at least. She definitely wasn't about to complain, but it did kind of hurt a little to know that it had been because of tequila and not because of anything else. She took a long sip of her drink as she tried to think of something to change the subject. "So you said your roommates were in a bad mood?"

"Oh my gosh, yes," Brittany said, rolling her eyes. She looked grateful for the topic change, and she ran her fingers through her hair. "Well I live with a couple girls from work, and they were just really kind of in a bad mood after work. There's a lot of drama and stuff that comes with it, and I try to stay out of it, but they don't."

"I think anywhere where there's a lot of people, especially girls, there's bound to be drama." Santana wrinkled her nose at the thought. "I know there was a fair bit of it in my sorority back in college. Things got catty every once and a while."

"I always thought it would be fun to be in a sorority," Brittany said, smiling a little. "There weren't any at my college. We didn't have Greek life at all, which was fine I guess, but I kind of wished we had it so that I could have done it." Santana raised an eyebrow, surprised that there hadn't been anything like that at her college, but then again from what she remembered Bluffton was a small, religiously affiliated school, so it made a little bit of sense.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, looking over at the other girl. Brittany's brow furrowed as she returned her gaze, but she nodded as she set her glass down on the coffee table. "I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want. I just... was wondering. Why didn't you get to finish there?" Brittany bit her lip, and Santana regretted asking. "Forget I asked, I was just wondering. It's fine."

"No, it's okay," Brittany said quickly, shaking her head. "It's okay." She looked like she was thinking really hard about what to say, and that made Santana feel a bit worse for asking. "I wasn't living at school, cause my parents only lived like half an hour away, so it didn't make sense to pay that much more to live there, and my parents were paying for my school anyway so it was their choice. And I was okay with it, cause I didn't have to move anything. Plus I had some friends up there so if I wanted to stay a day or two, I could." Her gaze shifted down to her hands in her lap and Santana reached over, slipping her hand over them and squeezing lightly. "Anyway, I brought a girl home once and they caught us, and that's... how I came out to my parents, I guess. But they kicked me out, and so that kind of put an end to it all."

"Brittany, I'm so sorry," Santana said quietly, scooting a little closer and giving her hands another squeeze. She was always grateful that her parents were accepting, but she felt even more grateful when she heard about people who had parents who weren't. It also made her feel slightly guilty, knowing that she'd had an easy time of it when other people hadn't. People like Brittany. "That's really awful of them."

"It's okay." Brittany laced their fingers together, and held onto Santana's hand tightly. "It is. I mean, of course it's sad that they think the things they do and that they did that, but it's not like I have it so bad. I've gotten to meet so many great people that I wouldn't have otherwise. I mean not everybody is great, I do meet a lot of kind of awful people too, but the good ones make up for it. Like my roommates, cause they're usually nice even though they weren't that great tonight. Or like you."

Santana smiled over at her, honestly impressed by Brittany's take on everything that had happened. If it had been her, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to look at it the same way. Of course she had been scared that her parents would react the exact same way Brittany's parents did. It had been the thought nagging at her every day until she actually told them, actually came out, actually gave them the chance to prove her wrong. And thank goodness they had. She couldn't imagine how her life would have turned up if they hadn't. What would have happened if they had kicked her out? She'd come out when she was in high school, and she couldn't even wrap her mind around the thought of not having her parents, not having a home, for any of that.

"It's okay," Brittany said again, nodding. "I promise." She took her hand out of Santana's and slipped her arms around hers, hugging her arm in close and resting her head against her shoulder.

"As long as you say it is," Santana said, resting her head against hers. She couldn't imagine being okay with it if it was her, but it wasn't, so she couldn't really say much.

"I do," Brittany said with a nod against her shoulder, before tilting her head up to look at her. She watched Santana for a long moment before pulling away and reaching for her glass, drinking down about half of it. She rest her glass in her lap, her other arm still around Santana's, and leaned up, kissing her cheek lightly. It felt like her skin was tingling, scorched a little from the pressure of Brittany's lips.

"Well then good," Santana said, turning a little to look at her. Brittany just stared up into her eyes, reaching up and caressing her cheek with her thumb a little before brushing their lips together. Santana took in a deep breath, having not expected it but not about to complain. She slipped her hand around to cup the back of Brittany's head, her fingers threading through her mostly dried hair and relishing the softness of it. It was almost as great as how soft her lips were against hers. And unlike her dream, there was nothing cherry about them. Her lipgloss tasted like bubblegum and that, combined with the ginger ale, somehow tasted amazing.

There was a brief pause as Brittany leaned over to set her glass on the coffee table once again. Her lips stayed pressed against against Santana's, and that was beyond fine. She leaned over, for once wanting to take control of her interaction with Brittany. So often it was the other girl completely taking over, running the entire show and calling all the shots. She really wanted to revel in the brief moment that she had that she could have for her own, her hands tangled into her hair and her lips crushed against hers, the brief flicker of their tongues together as she shifted over, straddling her lap and pressing in closer, their bodies warming each others as they got lost in the moment.


	10. Chapter 10

Brittany was an incredible kisser. The softness of her lips, the way her tongue moved against Santana's, the drag of her teeth against Santana's bottom lip, it all felt so perfect. Then again, Santana knew it had been a while since she had kissed someone like that, but it didn't change the fact that Brittany was really good at it. It was amazing and a little bit shocking just how sweet and almost innocent those kisses were. Of course they were deep and longing, but they were both purely focused on that, and the rest of their bodies were still.

Her hands did drift over Brittany's arms, and she sucked lightly on her lower lip as her fingertips trailed up over her shoulders. She was mesmerized by how soft her skin was, and her hair too, despite the fact that it was still damp. Her fingers threaded through it and Brittany sighed against her mouth, which was something that seemed so small and innocent but in actuality sent a jolt of arousal through Santana, and her fingers tightened, but she pulled back just a little and rested their foreheads together as she caught her breath.

"Why'd you stop?" Brittany mumbled, tilting her head up and pressing her lips in against hers. Santana let her for the briefest of moments before pulling away and reaching back for her glass. She needed to think, to clear her head, to not just push the other girl back onto the couch and rip all her clothes off. Out of all the times she'd been in a position like that, she'd never gotten that turned on that quickly. Maybe it was because of how they'd gotten to know each other, at Sirens first before _actually _getting to know each other. Because she knew exactly what was hiding underneath those clothes, and just how perfectly Brittany could move her body.

"I just need a second," she murmured, letting Brittany lean her back so she could reach her drink as well. She watched as the other girl held her glass to her lips, letting it sooth against them. They both finished off their drinks, and soon the glasses were set back on the table and they were sat looking at each other. It felt oddly strange, the reversal of roles, Santana on Brittany's lap, her legs pressing in against the other girl's thighs as she sat there.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asked, her eyes searching Santana's face and her hands resting on top of her thighs. That simple touch was enough to remind Santana _why _she had pulled back in the first place. It was insane how electric Brittany's touch was, just how much every little brush of fingertips or flutter of breath against her skin made her feel like every muscle in her body was coiled so tight and ready to burst.

"I'm fine," Santana answered quickly, her hand slipping to the back of Brittany's neck as she leaned in and kissed her, keeping the pressure of their lips together light and soft. No matter how much she tried to shut out her thoughts, try to stop herself from over thinking everything for once, she couldn't. And as Brittany's palms pressed against her legs, she caught herself an pulled back again. "Why me?"

"What?" Brittany's eyes widened as she looked up at her, and her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why... me?" Santana asked again lamely, mentally kicking herself for stopping what had been a good thing just to ask doubting questions. There Brittany was, so beautiful and adorably sexy. And Santana couldn't figure out how she'd managed to get her. Not that they were anything, per se, but... in general. "Is it just because I'm the only girl who came-"

"No," Brittany interrupted, shaking her head and pressing her finger to Santana's lips so she couldn't say anything. "You're the first person seemed to care about something more than just the dance they were paying for. I mean, I didn't know you were a lesbian until you told me, and I wanted to see you more ever since that first time." Her cheeks flushed lightly and her gaze dropped from Santana's for the first time since she had pulled away. "I really hoped you would come back, and then you did, and then you told me... and I know what that feels like. Not feeling like you can be yourself because of the people around you. Lima is nice because I have a job and a place to live and all that, and my job makes it so I don't have to hide those parts of me."

She paused and chewed on her lip as she thought, her finger not moving from Santana's lips. "And okay, I really just wanted to be your friend. Except you came back and told me, and you're really, _really _pretty," she said, her gaze finally met Santana's again, and she was blushing noticeably. "But then you showed up for grocery shopping and I didn't really think you would because you'd been kind of drunk, and then coffee, and then I was late to work because I didn't want to leave..."

"Sorry about that," Santana whispered, and her cheeks felt like they were on fire, so she was sure that she was blushing just as much, if not more, than the other girl. "I didn't know." Her heart was racing and she couldn't believe that Brittany thought she was pretty. She knew she was attractive, but the fact that _Brittany _thought she was, well that was something completely different.

"I know you didn't," Brittany said, shaking her head. "I don't care, I didn't want to leave." She took a deep breath, her hands resting on top of Santana's thighs again. "You're someone I feel like I could talk to all day and we would never run out of things to talk about. I've lived here for a while now you're the first person I've felt that about. I mean, I don't have that many people, just my roommates really, but still." Her palms absently smoothed over the fabric of Santana's pants, and she sighed. "Which, I guess, I said all that because... no, it's not just because you're the only girl that's come into Sirens and ended up being into girls."

Santana leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, catching the corner of her mouth in the process. She felt Brittany smile against her, and her hands moved to rest over hers. At some point during everything Brittany was saying, she had been holding her breath, and she finally let it out once her lips left her skin. Her fingers laced with the other girl's, and she nuzzled against her lightly before kissing her on the mouth. It was just a sweet closed mouth kiss, and then Brittany was the one to pull back.

"Do you only like me because I'm a stripper?" Brittany's voice was barely audible, and she was back to avoiding eye contact with her.

"No," Santana said quickly, and a little sharply. She just hated the thought that Brittany would even be thinking that. "Not at all, Brittany. I mean, you're... you're just gorgeous and that's what I noticed first, but that's because... it was at Sirens. Even there, though, there was just something about you. I wanted to get to know you better. It's not because you're a stripper. No. Please don't think that."

"I just asked cause that happened before," Brittany mumbled, her eyes still focused somewhere on Santana's stomach. "I didn't want to think you would, I just wanted to make sure." Santana pulled her hand away from hers and tilted her chin up so she would look at her.

"I'm pretty sure I would have liked you just as much if I would have seen you at the grocery store, or the coffee shop, or any of those places," she said, her tone softer as she searched Brittany's eyes to try and see if she was believing her. "Just because that's the first place I saw you, that's not the reason I kept coming back. It's the only place I could see you, so..." She ran her thumb along Brittany's jawline, and almost breathed a sigh of relief when the corners of the other girl's mouth turned up in a bit of a smile.

"Good," Brittany said, her hand sliding over Santana's shoulder and to the back of her neck, pulling her in and kissing her deeply. Santana's mouth opened to hers automatically, and she caressed her cheek gently. It was only seconds before their tongues were sliding against each other, and soft whimpers and moans were filling the quiet of the apartment. It was so entrancing, so tantalizing, that neither of them heard the sound of the door being unlocked and opened.

"Well that's hot." Santana pulled back quickly, looking up to see Puck standing in the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, carefully moving off Brittany's lap and almost launching herself over the couch to get to him. Her hand met his chest in a smack as she shoved him out the doorway and onto the landing. "What the fuck?"

"Shit, calm down," he said, his hands raised in surrender. "I left my wallet when I was here earlier, so I wanted to get it."

"And you couldn't knock like a normal person?" she growled, smacking him on the arm. "Dammit, Puck!"

"I'm sorry! I was just going to slip in and get it and not bother you. I didn't realize you were going to be mounting some girl." He looked slightly apologetic, but not really. Most likely he was more sorry for making her mad than actually interrupting. "Who's the lady?"

"Where is your wallet?" Santana asked through clenched teeth.

"Probably in your living room, I don't know," Puck said, shrugging.

"Wait. Here." She glared up at him before going back into her apartment, shutting the door before he could follow her. "I'm so sorry," she murmured to Brittany, her eyes searching the living room for his wallet. "He's an asshole."

"It's okay," Brittany said softly, pulling her legs up beneath her. "What are you looking for?"

"His wallet," Santana muttered, moving some of the pillows on the couch. She found it down between two of the couch cushions, and went back out the door with it in hand. "Don't do that again, you jackass. I'm going to take my key away from you. Not your extra special apartment landlord key, because I know you have to get that from your mom to use it, but _my _key that I gave you in case of emergencies. And next time you have some girl over I'm going to kick your door in and scare her off, you understand?"

"Christ, settle down," Puck said, rolling his eyes. She glared up at him and he sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll knock next time and not come in when you're getting your lady mack on. Chill."

"Good. Go away." She shoved him away from her door and went back inside, locking it behind her and leaning against it. Her level of annoyance was still way up there, but she tried to curb her temper since she managed to get rid of him. "I am so sorry."

"It's okay, Santana," Brittany said, turning so she could see her. "It's fine, I promise." She stifled a yawn and offered her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I had to wake up early to get stuff done before work."

"No, it's okay." Santana shook her head and went back over to the couch, sitting beside her. "Do you have to go? I mean, I totally understand..." she trailed off, secretly hoping that she didn't have to leave. It was selfish, she knew, but she didn't care. "Or you could stay."

She wasn't exactly sure what had inspired her to offer, and the words that came out of her mouth had started her even more than they had Brittany, she was almost certain. "I mean," she said, carefully backpedaling in an attempt to not sound so presumptuous. "You said your roommates were being awful and I just thought, if I had roommates that were being awful I wouldn't want to go home. And my couch is comfortable, or you could take the bed and I could take the couch, I just... really don't want you to go but I know you're tired."

There was a long pause, almost _too _long, before Brittany said anything. "Do you have a t-shirt or something I could borrow to sleep in?" she asked, looking over at her. Santana tried to ignore how much it felt like her heart had leaped in her chest at that question.

"Yeah, of course," Santana said with a nod, getting their glasses and taking them into the kitchen. Brittany trailed after her, leaning against the wall and watching as she rinsed them out before drying her hands on jeans. "You can take my room, it's just the door on the left." She started down over toward the door and smiled to herself as she felt Brittany take her hand. "I'll grab you something to wear."

They went into her room and she was glad that she'd had nothing to do but tidy up earlier, so her room wasn't nearly as messy as it could have been. Not that she thought they would be headed there with their evening, but she had run out of things to clean out in the common area. She got into her dresser and found an old t-shirt from college and handed it over to Brittany. "Here you go, I'll just be out there if you need anything."

"Or you could stay," Brittany said almost shyly, repeating the same words that Santana had said to her not minutes before. "Not in that way, I mean, but I would feel bad taking your bed and making you sleep on the couch and you could just... sleep in here, too." Santana looked at her, raising an eyebrow, and she bit her lip with a smile. "I'd like it better if you were in here, I think."

"Okay," Santana said with a nod, reaching for her pajamas that were on the floor beside her bed. "I'll be right back, I just have to turn out the lights and stuff." Brittany nodded and Santana went out, double checking that her door was locked before turning off the lights in the kitchen and living room and heading into her bathroom to change into her pajamas. She brushed her teeth and her hair and spent a good few seconds staring at herself in the mirror and convincing herself that she was perfectly capable of dealing with a very attractive girl in her bed in a reasonable manner.

When she went back into her room, Brittany was already under the covers and she had the television turned on. She glanced over when the door opened, and smiled at her. Santana felt oddly self conscious, even though she was only wearing an old sorority t-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was just more unkempt than she usually let anyone see her. She turned off the light and crawled under the covers, not used to having someone taking up half her bed, keeping it warm for her. "Sorry, I didn't know what side you slept on," Brittany murmured. "And I'm used to having some kind of noise, so I turned the tv on, is that okay?"

"That's fine," Santana said, shaking her head. "I usually just spread out, so I don't have a normal side I sleep on. This is good." She hadn't realized how tired she was until she was there, laying in bed in the dark with only the glow of the television to light the room. Rolling over onto her side, she offered Brittany a smile and closed her eyes, trying not to feel even more self conscious about the fact that Brittany was there in bed with her and would be seeing just how awful she looked in the morning.

"Good night, Santana," Brittany said softly, leaning over and kissing her forehead. That just made her smile even more, and she slipped her arm around Brittany's waist and left it there.

"Good night, Brittany."


	11. Chapter 11

If there was ever a way Santana hadn't pictured herself waking up, it was because the chorus of _Blow_ by Ke$ha blasting into her dreams and shocking her into consciousness. She automatically reached for her nightstand but the music was cut off before she had barely moved. Her eyes opened slightly as she tried to figure out what was going on, completely disoriented by the rude wake up call. She shifted and stopped, feeling someone beside her, and it only took a few seconds for her to remember. Brittany had stayed. She was the one warming up the bed beside her, the person whose legs were tangled with Santana's.

Not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl beside her, she turned her head as far as she could to glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was three in the morning. She muffled a groan into her pillow, her mind still groggy and trying to figure out where the music had come from. Except then it happened again, and she watched through half-closed eyes as Brittany reached over to her phone and pushed a button in her sleep. That was all well and good except Santana didn't expect it to stop unless she'd actually managed to turn her phone off, which she hadn't since the screen was still glowing there in the dark of the room. She leaned in, almost accidentally headbutting her thanks to the dark and the fact that she still wasn't quite all the way awake. "Brit, your phone," she said, her voice rough and deeper than usual. The other girl didn't stir, and so she tried again. "Brit."

"Hmmr?" Brittany turned her head toward the sound of Santana's voice, her hands seeking her out and latching onto her shirt, pulling at it to try and get her closer.

"Brittany," Santana groaned, attempting to detach the other girl's fingers from her clothes. "Your pho-" She got cut off by the phone going off again, but this time Brittany's eyes opened. She looked confused about everything that was on, between her phone and being in a strange room and Santana being there, and it was like she didn't know what to figure out first. Santana pulled her fingers out of the fabric of her shirt, reaching across her to grab the phone and put it in her hand. "Your phone."

"Hello?" Brittany answered it in a mumble, pulling her other hand away from Santana to rub at her eyes. "M'fine. Promise. G'night." She punched the end button on the phone and let it fall onto the bed beside her as she rolled over against Santana, pushing her onto her back and practically laying on top of her to burrow her face against her. Santana let her, and just pulled the blankets back up over them as she felt Brittany's legs twine in with hers.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her fingers carding through Brittany's hair as she let her eyes fall shut again. She figured it was, but with someone calling that insistently there was always a chance for it not to be. Especially so late at night. Or was it early in the morning? Either way, it wasn't something she normally experienced.

"Roommate." Brittany's voice was muffled against her skin, and Santana had to keep from laughing because of how it tickled when she spoke. "Just got home. I'm not there. Wanted to make sure I was okay..." She trailed off, turning her head a little and sighing. Her breath played along her neck and it nearly sent shivers down Santana's spine.

"Mmkay." Her fingers trailed through Brittany's hair once more before she just let them settled on her back, holding her in close. A smile tugged up at the corners of her mouth as she heard the other girl make a soft, content sound, and she let sleep claim her for the second time that night.

* * *

><p>When her alarm started beeping obnoxiously, Santana found it difficult to move to turn it off. She was pretty well pinned down to the bed by Brittany, and she had to wrench one of her arms from beneath her to reach over and smack the snooze button. It felt like she had just gotten back to sleep, but a tired glance over at the clock told her it was her normal wake-up time. While she waited the few minutes for the alarm to go off again, she looked down at the girl laying practically on top of her.<p>

She never though Brittany could get more adorable than she already was, but she was easily corrected by one glance at her while she was asleep. There was such a peaceful look on her face, that face that was still resting on Santana's chest as she slept. Her hair was splayed out behind her, and she looked like she hadn't really moved much since they'd fallen back asleep, except to cling on closer to Santana. The way Brittany's arm was tight around her, that was the reason she'd had to try so hard to get her arm loose to get to her alarm clock. Even still, it hadn't caused her to stir in the least.

The alarm blared again and Santana silenced it quickly, sighing when the second time of it going off didn't phase Brittany either. She shifted to try and get out from under her, but it didn't work, the combination of the dead weight of her pressing down against her and her arm wrapped so tightly around her not allowing her to move. Even if it had, she reminded herself, she would have to wake up Brittany eventually. She couldn't just leave her sleeping there when she went to work, what with needing to lock her apartment and all.

"Brittany," she said softly, running her hands along her back. She stroked her thumb against her cheek, smiling a bit when she heard a hitch in the other girl's otherwise slow, deep breathing, and pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. "Time to wake up."

"Don't wanna," Brittany mumbled, nuzzling her face against her chest in an attempt to avoid the bits of sunlight that had managed to stream into the room through the curtains.

"Well you have to move, at least," Santana said, rolling her eyes but unable to keep from smiling. She was just too cute, and that made it really difficult to want to get out of bed. "I have to take a shower."

"Want some company?" Her breath caught in her throat at Brittany's words, and she couldn't figure out if the other girl was being serious or was still half asleep or some other thing but all she did know was that her brain was having trouble functioning at the thought. She blinked a few times, trying to find her words, and Brittany lifted her head up to look at her. "I can just take one at home, it's okay, sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No," Santana managed to get out, shaking her head a little. Her mouth had gone so dry, she had to swallow hard a few times to feel like she could speak again. "You can... yeah. Company sounds good." Brittany moved off her, looking up at her with wide eyes. She was watching her like she was trying to figure out if she meant it, but after a few seconds she smiled.

"Okay." Brittany leaned in and kissed her cheek, and then rolled over to the other side of the bed and stretched out. Santana got up from the bed and stretched her arms up over her head, glancing back over her shoulder at the other girl before going into the bathroom.

As soon as she crossed that threshold, she became suddenly aware of what was about to happen. She knew she looked disheveled and ragged, just like she did every morning, but she was about to take a shower. With Brittany. She was about to be completely naked. With Brittany. A mild panic settled in her chest and she tried not to look in the mirror or down at herself. Normally she wasn't that self-conscious. She knew she was pretty, and well fit enough, but next to Brittany she felt like neither of those things. There was only so much standing around and staring at the walls she could do, though, otherwise she would be late for work. So she turned on the water for the shower and quickly pulled off her clothes, stepping in under the water and trying not to think.

Brittany was so quiet that Santana didn't even realize she was in the bathroom until she saw the shower curtain move. Her back was to the other girl, and she couldn't quite bring herself to turn around. It was something she wanted to do so badly, but her body wasn't letting it physically happen. Because seeing Brittany like that meant that Brittany could see _her _like that. She nearly forgot to breathe when Brittany's hands slid along her arms, their fingers lacing together for the briefest moments before those hands, those slender fingers moved to her hips.

When Brittany's fingers drifted in toward her stomach, Santana managed to turn around. She came face to face with the other girl, and part of her nerves went away. Brittany was just looking at her face and her eyes, those eyes, there was something going on behind them and Santana couldn't quite figure out what it was. So she just closed the small distance between them and kissed her softly, chastely, and shut out her thoughts as Brittany took a small step forward and pressed in against her. The touch of skin on skin was enough to send Santana's senses into a whirl and she slipped her arms around her, her hands stroking along her back.

Her tongue swiped along Brittany's lower lip and without any warning at all, Brittany's hands slid down and grabbed her ass. She made a muffled, surprised sound against the other girl's mouth and felt her smile. _Well if that's how it's going to be, _she thought, nipping at her lips before smacking her ass lightly. Brittany broke away with a soft giggle, and there was that look in her eyes again. Her hands slid up to Santana's hips and pulled them in flush with hers. Santana took in a deep breath, moving her hand up behind Brittany's neck and kissing her again, much more intently.

She couldn't say who moved first, but it wasn't long before their hips were grinding roughly in rhythm with each other, and she broke away from the kiss to mouth along her neck. The moan that came from Brittany just egged her on, and she took a small step back so she could slide her free hand between them, trailing it down her torso and along the inside of her thigh. Brittany gripped onto her shoulders, and Santana didn't let herself hesitate as she moved her hand up between her legs, her fingers stroking against the other girl. The grip on her shoulders tightened, Brittany's fingertips digging into her as she slowly traced her fingers along her.

It had been a long time, way too long, since she'd done anything like that. At least, to someone that wasn't herself. And it was so different to do it to someone else. Brittany's hips bucked against her hand and she pulled it back a bit to move her fingers against her clit, eliciting all kinds of whimpers from her. Her tongue flicked against her neck, her skin wet from the hot water spraying down onto them. She kept her fingers stroking against her as she sucked at her neck, getting a bit of a rise from the sound Brittany gave in response.

"No marks," Brittany gasped, tugging on Santana's hair a little to get her to stop. There was a slight panic in her eyes but Santana just murmured that she wouldn't leave any and lapped against the skin she'd just been sucking on. Her fingers dipped back further and brushed against her entrance. Brittany's entire body jerked in response. It was such a powerful feeling, knowing she could get that kind of reaction out of her. She pushed her fingertip in, shallowly thrusting it in and out, watching as Brittany's head tilted back and her eyes closed. The look on her face was indescribable and Santana never wanted to forget it.

She pressed her thumb against her clit, moving her finger in deeper. "Ohmigosh," Brittany whimpered, rolling her hips against Santana's touch and urging her for more. Santana was too entranced with watching her that she didn't even notice the other girl's grip leave her left shoulder. She didn't notice anything different until she her knees just about gave out from Brittany's insistent fingers pressing between her legs and finding her clit almost instantly.

Santana nearly shouted, her own fingers faltering for a moment as she regained her senses. When she recovered, she slipped another finger in, and the shower filled with moans falling from both their mouths. She crooked her fingers inside the other girl, stroking against her until Brittany came with a stammered cry, her body tensing and shaking as Santana's kept her fingers working her through it. They both stood there under the hot stream of water, barely moving and breathing heavily.

Brittany pulled her hand away from her, and Santana felt such a worse ache than she'd been feeling before. Having that contact and then it being gone, that was worse than nothing at all. Her eyes widened, though, as Brittany brought her hand up and sucked her fingers into her mouth, groaning as her tongue slid along them. Brittany's eyes opened as she let her fingers slipped back out from her lips, trailing them down Santana's abdomen and in between her legs. As they slid inside her, their mouths crushed together and Santana could taste herself on Brittany's tongue, which made her moan almost pornographically.

Her hand braced against the wall of the shower and worked her hips down against Brittany's fingers. The other girl was sucking on her tongue in such a tantalizing and perfect way and Santana choked back another moan as she felt her fingertips brush against her g-spot. That only seemed to fuel Brittany further, and the thrusting of her fingers became much more deliberate, insistent, and it only took a few more strokes inside with her thumb rubbing against her clit and then it was Santana's turn to topple over the edge. She felt like her entire body was on fire and melting into a puddle all at the same time and she reached up to hold onto the shower curtain rod to keep upright.

"That was really sexy," Brittany murmured, her voice husky and rough as she dropped light kisses along her jaw. Santana was certain she would have been blushing if she wasn't so fallen apart in the best way she could imagine. Her hand stroke along Brittany's sides and she pulled her in close, kissing her deeply. She felt her reach back behind her and hear a click, and the next thing she knew Brittany's fingers were massaging shampoo into her hair. Opening her eyes, she saw the look of concentration on the other girl's face as she made sure she'd gotten all of her hair covered before gently tilting her chin up with her fingers to move Santana's sudsy hair into the water.

There was just so much care being taken by Brittany with every little thing she did. Her fingers worked all the shampoo out and then it was the same thing again with the conditioner. Santana had never felt anything quite like it. Her breath caught in her throat as Brittany started to run a suds laden loofah along her skin, going slowly and methodically, starting at her shoulders and working down each arm before beginning in on her torso. Everything she was doing felt far more intimate than what they had done before. Santana felt completely exposed, but she didn't care. Everything felt too good for her to care.

When Brittany gave her a little nudge to move her into the water, she complied, but reached back to grab her shampoo to do the same for the other girl. Brittany caught her hand before she could get it, stopping her and kissing it. "I took a shower after work last night," she said softly, shaking her head. "And I work again tonight." It took a long moment before it clicked in Santana's head, and she gave her a questioning look. "I didn't _need_ to take a shower, I wanted to... with you."

Santana leaned in and their lips met in a brief kiss as she took the loofah out of her hand. She poured on some more of her body wash and lathered it up in her hands before running it up Brittany's arm. "You don't have to," Brittany murmured, her eyes meeting Santana's.

"I know," Santana said, shaking her head. "I want to." Her gaze followed her hand, skimming over Brittany's body and taking her in. She took her time, slowly making sure to cover every inch of her with lavender scented bubbles. The other girl's body was so familiar already, her long limbs and taut muscles, and every bit of her just begging to be touched and worshipped. Brittany's head lolled back as Santana guided her under the water to rinse off. Her hands smoothed over the other girl's skin, making sure to get all the suds off, and then just enjoying the silky soft warmth beneath her fingers.

They both stood there, clean and relaxed and not wanting to move, until the water started to turn lukewarm, and then quickly less warm, and they made their escape just before it turned cold.


	12. Chapter 12

Lima didn't seem that bad anymore, not after that morning.

Days were filled with texts back and forth, and that alone was enough to brighten even the most boring day of work or tired afternoon. It wasn't like they had done anything else, not together since that morning, but there was that overhanging potential of more. Brittany's hours at work made it difficult to have time together. It was the rare day that she worked the day shift. She was far too good at what she did, far too much of a moneymaker, for her talents to be wasted on the sparse lunch crowd.

Being around Puck was a little awkward after that night, at least at first. He clearly wanted to question what was going on, but he also knew that her threats weren't empty and she would ruin him in so many ways if he said or did the wrong thing about it. There was only so long he could stay silent on the matter, though, before his curiosity outweighed his sense of self preservation. Either that or it was the wine that they'd had over dinner that had given him the slight bout of courage to bring it up.

"So who was she?" he asked, getting a forkful of spaghetti and shoving it into his mouth as he watched her, waiting for an answer. "And where'd you find her? That's the more impressive part, right there. Not too many lady lovin' ladies here in Lima. Do you have some sort of signal to find each other, like a secret handshake or...?"

"Oh my God, please shut up," Santana groaned, cradling her head in her hands as she tried to control her urge to throw spaghetti sauce in his face. "Yes, we have a signal. It's this light we shine up in the sky that looks like a vagina. What is _wrong_ with you?" Puck just grinned a little.

"Hey, that would be awesome if it were true," he said with a chuckle. "Except you'd probably get some guys attention with that, and that's kind of the opposite of what you want, so..."

"Please stop talking." She took a long drink of her wine before looking over at him again. There he was, eyebrow quirked, slight smirk in place, just waiting. "What?"

"Who was she?" he asked again, speaking a little slower as if she hadn't been able to understand him the first time. "Did you just go find a girl that looked like that one stripper or something?" Her eyebrows raised at that, and he raised his fist in triumph. "You did! You went and found some hot little blonde because you like that stripper! I knew you had a thing for her."

"Puck, I did _not_ do that," Santana said, clenching her jaw as she tried to think of what to tell him. Part of her wondered if telling him the truth would really be that bad. She would leave out some of the details of course, like the part where Brittany slept over, and they showered together, and the amount of fingering that had gone on during that shower. His head might explode if she told him about that last part, especially. She took a bite of her garlic bread and chewed it slowly, watching him staring at her. "It was her."

"Holy shit you paid her for sex, didn't you?" He yelped as the remainder of her garlic bread hit him in the face. "Hey! That almost went in my eye!"

"I wish it had!" she snapped, rolling her eyes. "No, Puck, I did not pay her for sex. I didn't pay her to come over to my apartment. I didn't pay her to talk to me. I'm not _quite_as pathetic as you seem to think I am."

"I don't think you're pathetic," he retorted sharply, using his napkin to rub off his face where the garlic bread had assaulted him. "I was impressed. Now I'm not. Not if you're going to be throwing shit at me."

"She's not a prostitute," Santana said, folding her arms across her chest and just _staring _at him, her eyes narrowed. "She's actually really sweet. We ran into each other at the grocery store the other weekend," she continued, carefully amending the actual truth to avoid any other questions about that particular event, "and we went for coffee after. She's a normal person, alright? She's really nice. I like her."

"I could tell you did, the way you were all on top of her." He'd dropped the hurt puppy look and had gone straight back to smirking. Her hand moved to hover over her plate, and he raised his hands up to guard his face. "Alright, fine! So you befriended your favorite stripper. Good for you."

"Don't be jealous," she teased, a smirk twitching at the corners of her mouth. She knew damn well that wasn't the reason, well at least not the main reason, she was attracted to Brittany, but she had a feeling Puck would get worse the more she tried to defend herself to him. "Just because you wish it was you..."

"You kidding? I can get any girl I want," Puck said, giving her an incredulous look. "All the ladies _love_ me, except for you and that's just because of your love of vagina."

"And boobs," Santana added with a light laugh. "Don't forget about those."

"I would _never_ forget about those," Puck said, shaking his head. "Those are two of my favorite things in the world." Santana just stuck her tongue out at him and went back to eating, glad that conversation was seemingly over and the topic was dropped. She and Brittany hadn't said what they were doing, never said what it was, and she didn't want to assume or try to label anything that wasn't there. The last thing she wanted to do was scare her off, and it's not like Santana needed a label anyway. She was just glad about what they had going on so far, as brief as it had been. There was always time for more.

* * *

><p><strong>work is slow &amp; boring tonight :( you should come!<strong>

It was amazing how quickly a boring night in could turn around with one simple text. Puck had left her well enough alone after dinner the night before, and he'd had plans for that night, so it had just been her and her television. Honestly, there was only so much of the Food Network she could watch before she wanted to eat everything in sight. Or, depending on the show, call up the network executives and demand a show of her own because if someone as annoying and grating as Sandra Lee could have own show, Santana sure as hell could too.

Except she'd gotten that text from Brittany, and that had made the night so much better. She hadn't been to Sirens since that night she'd gotten Brittany's number. Why would she want to? Of course all the scantily clad women were nice to look at, but she only really cared about one. And she liked it even better when she got to see her outside of those four walls with all their tinted windows. It was just that work kept getting in the way, on both their ends, and unlike with her own, she could actually go see Brittany at hers.

The familiar drive seemed shorter than usual, and it wasn't that much longer until she had paid the cover and gotten inside, making her way over to the bar and getting a smile from Sam. "Hey stranger," he greeted her, lifting up the bottle of Jack and raising an eyebrow. She nodded and he poured her usual, setting it in front of her. "How's it going?"

"Alright," she said, picking up the glass and taking a sip. "Boring, mostly."

"Well you've come to the right place, then," he said with a smile. "Curing boredom is _kind _of a specialty."

"Oh yeah? So you're having a slow night too, then?" she teased, glancing around the nearby area before looking back across the bar at him. "Such a slow night that you're offering to help cure my boredom. That's a new one." He rolled his eyes, but his smile stayed in place.

"Hey, I'm not a bad guy." His eyes flitted away from hers briefly, and his smile grew as his gaze met hers again.

"What?" she asked suspiciously, but he didn't get the chance to answer before the familiar touch of fingertips were running down her forearm.

"Hey you." Angel's voice was practically a soft purr, and Santana turned around to face her. She was all so familiar, that wavy hair and those wide eyes, and the urge to just close that small distance between them was almost overwhelming. Almost. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure," Santana said with a nod, finishing off her drink and setting the glass back on the bar. She knew it was the only way for them to get to be alone, to be able to talk or do anything where other people weren't watching. That was why she let Angel take her hand and lead her back to one of the fairly familiar private rooms. As soon as they were inside, Angel was kissing her.

It was soft and sweet at first, just the pressure of their lips against each other as Angel slid her arms around her. Santana slipped her arms around her waist, her heart jumping a little at the touch of her hands on bare skin. How was it that she hadn't even registered that Angel was wearing her normal outfit, all bra and thong and nothing else? She'd been too busy looking at her hair, her eyes, those lips that were kissing her own.

"Sorry, I've been wanting to do that all day," Angel said breathlessly as she pulled back, her eyes meeting Santana's and she looked almost shy. "Well, more than all day. Like, ever since I saw you last time." Santana felt herself blushing as she stood there, looking up at her. Of course _she_ thought about kissing _her _but the fact that the other girl was having those thoughts about her too? That was a little difficult to believe but she was more than willing to try. Just as soon as she stopped her face from turning an embarrassing shade of red. "What?"

"Nothing," Santana said with a shake of her head, her thumb rubbing against the small of her back. "I've been wanting that, too." Angel smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"It's a really slow night."

"Yeah, it looked that way out there," Santana said, gesturing toward the curtain covering the doorway to indicate the area outside of it. There hadn't been that many people there at all, which was surprising. She couldn't remember any other night she'd been there that the place had been that empty.

"That means I don't have to go backstage for a while," Angel said, a mischievous look on her face. Her hands slid down into the back pockets of Santana's jeans and she squeezed lightly as she leaned in, brushing a light kiss against her lips. "Not until I'm done with whatever customer I have." Her breath was hot and lingering along Santana's skin.

"Oh yeah?" she murmured in response, her fingers skimming up the skin of Angel's back and brushing against the ends of her hair. She felt the other girl arch against her touch and she let out a shaky breath. Her heart was already racing, and they were barely touching.

"Yeah," Angel whispered, ghosting kisses along Santana's jawline. "And I really, really want to make sure that you leave here satisfied." There was very little going on in Santana's brain other than _fuck yes_ and thinking about the heat flooding between her legs as she let her hand move back down and snap the band of the other girl's g-string. Angel made a sound that was halfway between a gasp of surprise and a moan. And damn if that wasn't hot.

Santana traced along her spine until her fingertips came in contact with Angel's bra, and she unhooked it as her breath caught in her throat. She felt ridiculous. It wasn't like she hadn't seen her topless before. It wasn't like they hadn't been completely naked in her shower together. She could close her eyes and see exactly what Angel looked like when she was topless. It's just that she had never been the cause of it before. She had never been the one to undo that clasp, to remove the only piece of clothing, if it could even be called that, separating her from Angel's soft, supple skin.

Angel's hands moved out of her pockets long enough to let her bra slip off her arms and drop to the floor. She looked at Santana, her hands slowly running up her sides and tugging at her shirt. Santana raised her arms up to let the other girl take it off, a slight rush going through her. It had been a long time, a really long time, since anyone had taken any of her clothes off. She didn't let Angel do anything else, and pulled her in, her hand cupping her breast as she kissed her hungrily. As her fingers caressed the other girl's skin, she realized that she'd never actually _touched_ Angel's breasts before. Everything in the shower, that had been hands below the belt.

Their tongues tangled together as Santana's thumb brushed over her nipple, and the sensation just made her even more turned on. It didn't help that Angel was whimpering and scrabbling to get more of Santana's clothes off. Her fingers fumbled with the button on Santana's jeans and as soon as it was undone, she had the zipper down and her hand inside, causing Santana to pull out of the kiss with a moan. The pressure of Angel's fingers against her was exactly what she'd been needing since they had gone back into the room. Her hips bucked automatically, and she slid her free hand down past the fabric of the other girl's g-string.

Angel gave a soft cry as Santana's fingers came in contact with her skin, with her clit, and she bit her lip as she pushed down on the waistband of her jeans, trying to push them down her legs. Santana gasped as Angel pulled away from her, dropping down to her knees to yank down her jeans and panties. It made her think back to that dream she'd had, the one of Angel coming over to her apartment. Those thoughts didn't go away as Angel nudged her legs apart and she gladly obliged, letting the other girl press her hips back against the wall and lick a wide stripe between her legs.

Her knees almost gave out for real, the intense feeling of pleasure and _want_ flowing through her body as Angel's tongue played along her hot, wet skin. It was one of the best feelings in the world, but she wanted so much more. She wanted to be an active player in what was going on, and not just by how her hands were fisting in the other girl's hair. It took her a minute to find her voice, to be able to get words to form, and her voice sounded foreign and raspy as she spoke. "Want you... so bad."

Angel gave a soft humming sound of agreement, and the vibrations made Santana want her to just keep doing that all night. She swallowed hard and tugged on Angel's hair to try and get her to stop, even though she really, really didn't want that to happen. It didn't help at all the way Angel sat back on her heels, licking her lips in a far too tantalizing way as she gave Santana a questioning look. "I want you," she repeated, breathing heavily. "Want to taste you."

There was a long pause, and she hoped that she hadn't said the wrong thing. It was unnerving the way the other girl was just looking up at her. But then Angel lowered herself back onto the ground, and her hips lifted up as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her thong and pushed it down, kicking it off. Santana took in a sharp breath as she looked down at her, taking her in. Even in the shower, she hadn't seen her like this. Not so exposed and wanting and _wet. _Santana could see she was, even from where she was standing.

She moved down to the floor, slightly awkward with her jeans still around her ankles. She managed, though, and placed her hands on either side of Angel's waist as she leaned down. Angel let her legs fall to the side as Santana ducked her head down and pressed a kiss to the crease where her leg met her hip, and couldn't hold back any more when Angel whimpered and threaded her fingers into Santana's hair, tugging her over so she was _right_ over her. She looked up at Angel, taking in how heavy the other girl was breathing, the way her muscles were tight and taut, and she just kept looking up at her as she ran the tip of her tongue along her.

It was almost in sync, the way Angel let out a moan and Santana drew in a shuttered breath, her eyelids fluttering closed as all her senses screamed at once. The way she tasted, felt, her scent, everything hit her at the same moment and she was overwhelmed for a second. She quickly remembered herself and lowered down onto her forearms, closing her mouth down over her and circling her tongue around her clit. Angel's hips pressed up toward her, and the sounds coming out of her mouth were _beautiful._

Angel tasted fantastic, in a way that Santana couldn't describe. The tip of her tongue traced around her clit and then stroked down along her, not able to get enough. She had just flattened her tongue out with the thought being to push it into her when Angel reached down and pulled up on her shoulders, making her stop. Santana lifted up and looked at her, breath coming heavy as she watched her. Angel just tugged her up and shifted around a little. It took Santana a few seconds to realize what she was trying to do, but once she did she moved around to help get where she wanted.

She was settled over Angel, her knees astride her shoulders as her hands pressed into the floor on either side of her hips. Her lips trailed along Angel's thigh, up toward her core, making sure not to suck on her skin, remembering how much Brittany had balked against the potential of marks when they'd been in the shower. Angel tilted her head up and pressed her mouth against Santana, sucking against her and holding her tongue in place against her clit.

This was the perfect way for them to both get what they wanted at the same time. Of course Santana had been aching and so hot when she'd started going down on the other girl, but it's what she wanted. It was what she wanted at the same time as being the opposite of the other thing she wanted. This? This was perfect. Angel's tongue working her over as she stroked her own over Angel's entrance, feeling the other girl squirm and moan beneath her. She was feeling so much all at once and it all felt incredible.

There was so much going on. The pressure of Angel's tongue against her, the way she was starting to press the tip of her tongue into Angel with little tiny thrusts, not to mention the fact that the curtain could open at any minute and they could be discovered by anyone. That was the part that got to her the most, she realized. There was that fear, no, that adrenaline, that came from knowing how close to other people they were. She couldn't help but moan as Angel's mouth closed over her, sucking on her clit and humming against her. That was so much, almost too much, and she pushed her tongue in further, moving it faster in and out of her, making her whimper and writhe and arch up off the floor.

She could feel tightness coiling in her body, the heat pooling low in her stomach, and her hips jerked against Angel's mouth as she felt herself getting closer and closer to release. Her tongue stilled in its rhythm against the other girl as everything inside her seemed to spiral and she saw stars behind her eyelids, waves of pleasure practically assaulting her body. Angel's tongue stroked her through it, and as soon as she was able to think for more than a split second at a time, she went back to pressing her tongue deeper inside the the other girl. It only took a few more thrusts, and Angel's hips bucking up off the floor in response, and then the other girl moaned loudly as she came. Santana lapped against her with slow, long swipes of her tongue as Angel trembled beneath her.

Her mouth trailed along Angel's hipbone, and the other girl smacked her ass lightly. "Tickles," Angel murmured before mouthing along the inside of Santana's thigh. Santana could only take so much of that before she crawled off her, turning around so she could kiss her full on the mouth. Her lips were pink and starting to look a little swollen from everything, but Santana couldn't resist. Angel whimpered against her, and Santana propped herself up on her elbows to keep her full weight off the other girl. "I'm really glad you came."

"Me too," Santana said, her lips brushing against Angel's again. "Me too."


End file.
